Harlequinn Meets Boy
by CyKiESuMMerS
Summary: *CH8UP! A little bit of the X-Men comes to Gotham City, as coed student Scott Summers moves for college and meets lots of new and different people in a strange new city with old dark secrets, coming with a secret of his own. Not to mention his friendly bubbly floor OT, Harleen and a mysterious roommate to make for a 'normal' college experience! X-Men/Batman Crossover! 1st X-Over.
1. Chapter 1

Orientation day at Gotham University was a hectic one. Tucked into a corner of the landscape of Gotham's majestic, dark, black sky scrapers, the campus sprouted out of the city in a rich growth of trees, grassy slopes, and neo-Gothic architecture. There was even a small shiny glass lake in the center, that reflected the black graphite of the skyscrapers around.

For college Freshman Scott Summers, newly graduated from Xavier's School for the Gifted, the dark monochromatic city was a sight to behold, and the variety of students he saw swimming in and out of the dorms with boxes all seemed so different from the people he was used to. There were different types of urban kids everywhere and these kids took hip city-style to a next generation level.

Gotham University was an elite and intensely private school that only had room for the best of the class, unique, and serious scholar, which Scott was a perfect candidate for in his own way. In the more recent years, since it had begun modernizing, it became an eclectic mix of serious and grim students and the eccentric city-kids whose genius was apparent in their artsy and unique expressions. Settling into a magnificent cathedral-like gray-stoned building, Scott carried the last of his boxes from his prized cherry convertible into his dorm room, a moderately sized dorm with dark gray walls and white tile floors.

He had chosen to dress comfortably for the long drive and move, in a white t-shirt and jeans with sneakers, a black Gotham U baseball cap nestled snugly on his head.

A skinny kid with a black and neon yellow striped spiky Mohawk and large metal bar sticking through his mouth nodded at Scott, who grinned easily back, taking note of the guy's spiky studded choker, and the chain connected to a spike going through his ear and his mouth piercing.

A girl's voice brushed by his ear as he stood in the hallway, watching the kid go. "I wonder what it would take to convince someone who looks like you to take a fashion tip from that guy."

He chuckled, shyly looking at the speaker, a girl with a pretty face, and ash blonde hair. "I was thinking a nice piece of metal piercing my face would give me the edge I need to fit in. I doubt I have enough street cool like that guy to pull it off though."

The girl shrugged, "You know, you just might be able to pull something like that off."

Scott smiled broadly, but then caught himself, he mentioned, "Do you need help with those boxes?"

He took a few large boxes from her arms and helped her carry them to her dorm, which was right across from his.

The name plate on her door read, "Emma F."

Emma thanked him for his chivalry and asserted, "I'm a sophomore transfer from Empire State, and I was invited to this mixer tonight. Would you want to come with me?"

Scott quipped, "Sure.. Sounds fun."

His sort of girlfriend from Xavier's who had chosen to stay closer to home and enroll in Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning to attend medical school, had often told him he was unexpectedly shy and needed to get out of his shell more, especially for college.

Jean, the girl, was a friendly and popular member of the X-Men, a secret organization and group of gifted people at Xavier's, and was the one dragging him around to be social.

Scott had not expected or planned for his first night to be an eventful one meeting new friends, but he was glad he did not have to do the work as an introvert and that invitations came his way already from this seemingly friendly girl across the hall.

Gotham University was for the kids with something special to them, something like a dark secret, or unique skills, abilities viewpoints, or backgrounds. Scott had not added this in his applications, but he held a special secret. He was a mutant, a forbidden secret to the world, he was born with abilities that set him apart from others.

He was bringing to Gotham a new flavor, a drop to the bright glowing melting pot of Gotham's strange, futuristic, yet old-timey and almost mythical city.

With energy pouring constantly from his eyes in a scarlet explosion after a concussion in his youth, Scott had been taken in by Charles Xavier, a mutant with a vision to bridge the gap between humans and mutants, and with a school for mutants who needed a safe place to thrive and learn about themselves.

Everyone back home thought that Scott, Xavier's golden boy and the no nonsense leader would stay local for higher education, expanding for Xavier himself, but he had decided to travel a bit further, to find a new world for himself in the next 4 years. He knew it would be tough or difficult and especially for a shy guy like him, but he was not like Jean, Warren, or Bobby or the other kids he knew, he did not love high school or have that much fun and involve himself with everyone, so with nothing to lose, he wanted to find new experiences, new people and learn somewhere far away and so different.

The Professor and him had planned and made arrangements for what would be the best choice for him while he could also still work abroad as an X-Man.

There was a crime stopping vigilante in Gotham, the famed Batman, and Scott agreed that as long as he stayed low-key and less public, that he would do his duties to help out law enforcement on the streets. Although the University was sheltered and thriving, the surrounding city was a rumored dark and dangerous place with the worse crime-rates. However, his main focus was to be on his studies.

Having been around the campus and seeing how other students dressed in uniform at the school, Scott went back to his dorm room for the night, dressing in a starched white shirt, buttoning it to the top and neatly tightening a black tie on. He put on a black felt blazer and checked his reflection. He had been given new, heavy and sleek, form-fitting ruby sunglasses with a titanium frame for graduation, that made his usually serious face even more solemn, masking his brows.

He fit in perfectly with the scowling, dark browed images of serious brooding young intellects of the traditional alma mater.

Running a comb back through his slicked back hair, Scott dialed on his silver cellphone.

He breathed in relief when Jean answered, "Scottie! How'd the move-in go? Meet any new friends yet?"

Her voice made him a little homesick, but he answered calmly, "Yeah actually, some girl across the hall invited me to a party, I'm just about to head out but I just wanted to talk to you real fast."

"Girl...who? Well that sounds fun, be a good boy tonight Scottie."

He mumbled, "I don't know, her door said Emma F. or something. She seemed nice enough."

Worry tugged at Jean's voice, "Emma F...Scott does she have any resemblance to Emma Frost? The White Queen, the mutant psycho girl who abducted Kitty back in high school?"  
He heard a yelp in the background, "Who abducted me?!" Kitty was over at Jean's then.

Scott froze, and he recognized her. "Jinkies you're right! I thought she was familiar... I wonder if she's up to no good, she has no reason to do anything now, I'm not exactly active in the X-Men right now."

Jean laughed a little, "Did you just say jinkies?

He smiled, "I've been watching Scooby-Doo. It's just a little ridiculous if she's actually still a threat, I mean I think the cold cut good and bad guy routine is behind us now."

Jean cautioned, "If you say so. Just be careful okay sweetie? Don't take any drinks from her is all I'm saying."

He dead panned, "I think I'll be okay, I could probably take on a girl who weighs a lot less than me and wears heels."

"I'm serious! You might not think the whole good guy bad guy charade is literal, but you can't forget what she tried to do to us, a bad guy who tried to kill us is still a bad guy until proven innocent."

"Okay thanks Jean, I'll be careful. Goodnight, I-I love you."

She paused and replied warmly, "Love you too Slim."

As he hung up and put his phone in his pocket, he had to wonder if she meant she loved him as a friend. It was hard to tell with Jean.

Things had been left ambiguously between them, Scott could not bear to part with her, after both finally got around to telling each other how they felt, but he was also trying to be reasonable and realistic, about their relationship ending after high school.

She had not been so open to the idea, and surprised him in wanting to be exclusive with him. They both agreed that that was something they wanted, but Scott had left it open, and she couldn't make up her mind on if she wanted to end as friends or talk about it again the next time they met.

He already couldn't wait for her to visit.

A guy with black hair and a duffel bag on his shoulder walked in and threw his clothes into his closet before greeting Scott.

"Howdy roomie, Dick Grayson." He shook hands with Scott who muttered, "Summers, Scott." He had a red polo shirt on with green short sleeves, and a thin frame but with lean muscle, a little like Scott's own slim lankiness, but a little scrawnier. He was a little shorter in size, and looked to be the intelligent type who found the time to play lacrosse once in a while.

Dick had an air about him like Scott had seen in actors from 50's movies, he sort of talked and dressed like them, like he was from the 50's, but Scott had figured out that this sort of mannerism and culture was to be expected of Gotham's city slickers.

It would have been nerdy in New York but it blended in to this strange and alluring dark place.

Knocking on the door across the hall, Scott was greeted by a girl with large round spectacles on and in her pajamas, her brown hair in a ponytail. "Emma, he's here!" The girl called behind the door and Emma appeared, taking Scott's breath away in a white slip.

As they made their way into the party, Scott said, "You look ravishing. By the way you know who I am don't you? We fought once, you're the White Queen."

Emma looked sympathetically at him and murmured, "If you think I still care about whatever I was coming down from and taking out on you X-Men, you're mistaken. How juvenile would I be to hold a grudge and keep up that whole versus game? We're in college now, I've moved on a little from those days, I'm just here to have fun and learn and think about my career."

He uneasily laughed and poured her a drink at the punch table. She sipped it, "Just so you know in advance, there's no need to drug me tonight or get the coed too drunk, I can do that on my own and you already have my unconditional consent. I suppose that's the least I could offer after trying to murder you before."

"Umm, I'm not trying to drug you, I didn't spike the punch. This is actually good old-fashioned punch. But heh, that's exactly what she said about..."

"Oh no don't tell me I'm drinking straight punch. What's the point. She who?"

"Jean...my sort of...the girl psychic you-."

"Oh heavens, don't tell me you're still with her. I forgot about how infatuated with the redhead you were."

Scott sipped his nonalcoholic punch noncommittally, as Emma watched him with a giddy beam. She went off to find alcohol, which a bunch of sorority girls were handing out.

Other Gotham students in similar black and white suits or dresses poured champagne into beer mugs they had stolen from a local pub.

The guy with the mohawk from earlier was standing in a group of similar kids, a girl with a half shaved head and multiple piercings and eyeliner wearing a black and white suit like Scott's, and a kid with tattoos covering his skin and wearing dress shoes nodded at Scott upon catching his eye.

Going up to the rooftop, Scott gazed around the almost shiny, pitch black marble structures reflected passively in his cold ruby lenses.

He glimpsed a spotlight dimly shining through the silvery fog and clouds, a black bat shadow in a yellow circle.

A girl stepped out of the shadows, "Impressed with the sight? That tacky yellow spotlight is like a tourist attraction for Gotham. That's what that bozo Batman is now, a good for nothing tourist sell out."

Scott stared down at a girl with dark golden blonde hair tied back in high bouncy pigtails and red lipstick on and big glasses on overly-large clear blue eyes with an almost vacant quality. She spoke in a feminine girlish pitch, a Brooklyn Accent just beginning to merge with her words, "I couldn't stand being down there with all them phonies and future sell-outs! All them boys and goirls downstairs, they'ze all just going ta go to become corporate sellouts, the un-eh-ver-city's jus' breedin' em to become the rats that rule Gotham. My ex-boyfriend's the only one with a halfway decent brain that's out to stop em, and stop Batboy. He can't now though, where he's at. How's about chyou? You one of em conformist wall street types?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets, taken aback by the ranting girl, who had started out talking normally and with a professional formal manner, but as she spoke her Brooklyn accent began to spew out loudly as her voice got higher and babyish.

He placated, "No, I'm not, I'm a Math and Quantum physics major, but equally as boring!"

The girl jumped forward, "Brainiac ovah heah! I knew you weren't like them others, you're too pretty for selling out and for maths. You ain't from around heah are ya? You don't seem like a Gotham citizen, you from outta town?"

Scott stepped back slightly from the girl, startled by her sudden movements and perpetually perturbed eyes. "I'm from New York, I got a lot to learn about living here, maybe you can help me."  
Pigtails bouncing, the girl hugged him enthusiastically. "If you ever need anythin' newbie, come to me, Harleen Quinzel! I'm your freshman OT, I offer counseling and peer therapy for anybody!"

Scott courteously replied, "I'm Scott, it's a pleasure to meet you Harleen. That's a pretty name."

She giggled madly, "You're a cutie patootie ain'tcha? My ex boyfriend would be so mad if he saws the likes of you talkin' to the likes of meee. It's too bad that ole honey's gone now!"

Making small talk, in his effort to meet new friends, Scott asked, "Where is he now?"

Harleen cried out, "Jail! The poah' bast-ahd's in jay-il! He was what some of them sell outs call cuckoo, but he's all mine and I won't hear none of that! I'm a psychologist intern and I'm writin' my thesis about him, an' boy my man's got so many issues my tell all's gonna make me famous!"

A group of guys in preppy sweaters yelled at Harleen, "CRAZY HARLEY! Get outta here! Quit freaking out the freshmen!"

Harleen pouted indignantly, "Everybody here thinks I'm bananas! It's hard makin' pals at a new school when people think you're nuts."

Scott kindly stated, "I don't think you're nuts. You're quirky, and you sound really smart, maybe they're just not used to how you talk." That's when he noticed the plastic hospital bracelet on Harleen's wrist.

Coming up through the ladder leading to the rooftop, Emma found her date for the party and relieved, "There you are. I thought I lost you to the sorority girls looking for fresh meat."

He asked uneasily, "They do that?"

Emma muttered to him quietly, "Come on let's go, you don't want to be stuck talking to Harleen. She's a little off. Sociopathic ex boyfriend from what I gather, and loads of baggage. We're in the same psychology field, we're both interested in criminal psychology and abnormal behavioral science. She just get let off from mental rehab, after promising good behavior."

Frowning, Scott went with her but retorted, "By standard you're not known as being the most mentally stable person either. I shouldn't even be talking to you."

Emma tweaked his ear and grinned, "Let's work on putting the past behind us, shall we? You so can't help but like talking to me, which is why you're talking to me."

Harleen waved excitedly at Scott and bubbled out, "Bye-a Scotty! Bye bye! I'll catch ya latah!"

Rolling her eyes, Emma sighed, "Looks like you already found yourself a stage 5 stalker and admirer, Romeo!"

As they made their way back to the dorms, Scott said, "It's nice to know there's another mutant, maybe that's why I'm talking to you."

"Don't give me that. I met your roommate, can you believe his name is actually Dick and he is literally straight from 'Leave it to Beaver'? Of all the people you've met here so far, you like me best. Say it."

Tight-lipped, Scott commented, "I haven't met many people yet."

Assuring him, she remarked, "Trust me, it'll be the same way even when you do meet more students, the numbers won't make a difference. You need someone who understands you. To be close to you."

Coming down their hallway, Emma sidled up to him, "Say, you don't think Dick would mind or notice if I had a nice welcome sleep over in your bed do you? I promise to be extra silent. If I can help it. My roommate gives me the jeepers, she's obsessed with cats and snuck some into our room and keeps denying it, but my allergies are bad." She suggestively made eyes at him, to which his face remained blank.

He walked her to her door and nodded, "It's been a good night Emma, hope you sleep well."

She pulled his tie, bringing his face to her lips and pecked him on the cheek before releasing.

When she closed the door, he retreated across the hall to his room, cheeks burning and a goofy grin on his face.

His phone rang, causing Scott to jump back out into the hallway, and noticing the silence of it, seemed to amplify his ringtone in the sleeping dorm.

Strolling outside into the night, Scott answered his phone. Jean's tired voice came out on the other end, "Hi Scotty, am I bothering you?"

Gladly, Scott blurted, "No way! I was just getting in, I miss you."

He could hear Jean's smile through the phone, "I miss you too. This is harder than I thought. Did you have fun tonight? Did Emma Frost try to do anything?"

Thinking, he paused, "Nope. She was on her best behavior, it wasn't an eventful night at all..."

A couple walking a distance away screamed out as something flew at them from the darkness.

"Jean? I gotta go, I'll call you back." Scott snapped his phone shut, replying to the call for help.

He reached into his jacket pocket and flipped it inside out, a self automated mechanism wrapping a black stretchy material over his body, as he loosened his tie and tore his shirt off, his black steel wrist watch blinking a red light.

Tucking his sunglasses into a hidden pocket, Scott unfolded a black steel visor that hugged his sculpted face, slipped on gloves that stopped at his knuckles, and kicked his shoes off as the self automated mechanism spread snug-fitting boots over his legs.

He ran towards the college couple trekking across campus at the late hours of night.

His bicep flexed, exposed on his black short-sleeved turtleneck top, that had a large red glass orb strapped to his chest with thick black straps stretched across his back and torso, as he flung up, grabbing onto a tree branch and swinging acrobatically across the courtyard and to the figure attacking the couple. With feet planted forward, he kicked the assaulter down who rolled away with loud squeals.

She did a handspring off the ground, kicking Scott in the face, as he fell back.

Someone slender in a tight red and black acrobatic costume, white face paint, black mask, and a joker's jingling hat covering her head ripped through the pockets of the two kids on the ground.

She laughed manically, exposing all of her shining teeth. "Joka may be gonezo but Harlequinn is out and free tonight! Fellars better watch out, Batman's too busy for campus crimes!"

She kicked off into the night sky with a large leap, swinging a bag of goods she had stolen.

Cyclops ran after her, his hand wavering by his visor, not sure if she was worth hitting with a potentially damaging beam.

She swung herself from a lamp post to an area where a bunch of boys were playing spitting games and drinking from bottles.

Scott recognized some of them as the boys who had harassed the strange girl he had met on the roof top.

"Excuse me, boys! Where might I find a good chickenhead?! Yeah I'm talkin' to you chicken heads!"

She swung a rubber chicken at their heads, whacking them with a fierce strength.

They groaned aloud, knocking their heads together.

"Don'tcha kna-ow? Underage drink-in' is verry bad!" Okay...so maybe she was a good guy and just had a funny way about reinforcing rules, Scott thought.

She swung again, shoving a spiky metal mace ball into the rubber chicken. Scott shot a beam and knocked it out of her hand. "What tha-!" Glaring at Cyclops she laughed, "Whooo are you?!"

She cartwheeled to him, landing on her feet under his chin, and trailed a finger up his chest, "Strong chin, but not Batman! Who you tryin' ta be?"

He opened his mouth to answer. She threw her hands up, a large bag appearing in them. A thick cloud of white powder flew in his face.

Scott coughed, his nose and mouth stuffed and shooting with eye-watering pain.

It was dusty...it was flour.

Harlequinn danced away and Scott charged forward, coughing out white dust clouds.

He grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder, but she expertly stretched and twisted herself around him, climbing up between his legs and then facing him, she grabbed his cheeks, squishing them together and planted a big smooch on his lips, "MMMMUWAH!"

Then, she squirted something in his face, "Bye bye handsome!"

Scott felt tickled, all his reflexes letting go and and a ticklish sensation in his stomach and head.

"HHAHAAAAAAAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA!" He could not control himself, he could barely feel his extremities, and he could not stop laughing.

Harlequinn grabbed the back of his shirt and then jumped over his head, pulling his shirt over his head, and tucking it into the front of his pants.

She gave him a kick on his naked back, with his head caught stretched between the shirt and his pants.

"Someone needed a good laugh! HA HA FOR NOW!" She saluted and flung herself away.

Forcing his wobbly legs to run, he blindly ran back up to his dorm, pounding on the door opposite from his.

Being let in, he collapsed on the floor, laughing out loud, his eyes watering and body convulsing violently.

He managed to gasp between laughter, "HHHAAHHH-Help-HAHHAAAHA-EMMAHAHHAHA!"

Knowing what to do, Emma being telepathic, she knelt down and touched his head, closing her eyes. She found the trigger in his brain making him laugh affected by laughing gas, and turned it off.

Gasping and gulping for air, Scott slowly got up, body still shaking.

"Th-Thank you. I owe you one."

Emma smiled gently and lowered his shirt with her hands.

He caught his breath and told her, "There was some jokester in a clown costume going around mugging students and harassing them, I didn't think much of it but she got me in the face with laughing gas. Effective defense mechanism for sure. I'm not sure whether it's the gas still or what but it actually makes me want to laugh. She used a rubber chicken too, as a weapon."

Her disgruntled roommate who's magnified eyes bulged in her spectacles was sleeping in a bed of snoring cats, she had a large shirt on with a picture of a cat playing with yarn on the front, and peeked out irritably from her bed. Emma told her, "He's drunk."

Arching her brow, the former villain took Scott out in the hallway to talk, "I was wondering when you'd come running back to my room, but I didn't know it'd be like this."

Scott scoffed, "I admit I judged you for kidnapping Kitty and trying to harm us all in the past, but I really owe you for helping me out tonight, I didn't know who to turn to."

Emma laughed, "Now, about this mugger. Sounds kind of like the Joker, I did some research upon coming here, but one of Gotham's most notorious villains and pain in the ass for the Batman, is the Joker, a sociopath who plays the most disturbing terrorist games. His methods and attacks or weapons don't always make much sense either. Could it be the imprisoned felon has an outside source?"

Emma sneezed suddenly, her nose pink and shiny and her eyes watery.

Scott offered up his army handkerchief from his combat pockets, wiping her nose gently.

She gratefully looked at him. "You do owe me a favor. How about getting me away from those damn cats for a night or two? I promise I'll be quiet."

Scott's shoulders sagged, he did just thank her and promise her a favor.

He ushered her into his dark room, noticing Dick's empty bed.

He let her have his own bed of dark blue sheets and commented, "That's weird, Dick's not here yet."

Spreading extra blankets onto the floor, Scott got in to sleep and Emma shook her head, "We can share your bed you know, as just friends. Oh well, I'll give you time to warm up to me, but mark my words, you will, Scott."

He shivered.

* * *

When Scott snuck Emma out across the hall the next morning, he saw that Dick had come in at some point and fallen asleep in his bed, but it would have been late, since Scott had not even heard his stealthy roommate.

Dick was up and packing his backpack when Scott came back.

The black haired boy was talking to another guy with red hair and the two looked scrutinizingly at Scott. The redheaded boy said appreciatively, "Already got a reputation this early! You're gonna be the talk of the semester for scoring that blonde across the hall on your first day here!"

Scott stuttered, "I didn't! We didn't do anything, I kind of have someone back home, that girl and I weren't even in the same bed, she just has cat allergies..."

Cyclops groaned, at the wide and shiny respectful eyes of the two guys.

Over the next couple weeks, Scott had become known as the Man, a title he withdrew from.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Writing Girl23: Thank you for your review! I was so excited to read it. I agree with you, for some reason Scott could fit in better than the other X-men, in a DC world like Gotham, he has a dark side even in marvel verse that could make him sort of similar in principle to Batman although with different concepts and purposes. Lol, about Harley getting away from him, I didn't mean for it to be a serious skirmish, he was just sort of confused and not sure what to make of her silly antics, like if she's even a real villain to worry about. But he does need to step his guard up haha, maybe this freedom from being away from the x-men is getting to his head, we'll see, if his lack of responsibility spreads to himself. You bring up some very good points and I'll try to address them in this next chapter! Thanks for your time and thoughts!**

* * *

"A field trip to the Arkham Asylum?"

Scott Summers stared in disbelief at his peer, Emma Frost, repeating what she had said.

She chided, "It'll be fun! For internship research purposes, some other psych students and I got our professor to get us passes into the underground of Gotham's most dangerous, notorious criminals!"

Scott shivered and skeptically mumbled, "Scary, they shouldn't let people in there."

"It's heavily secured, are you coming or what? I might need a big strong handsome X-Man to protect me."  
He gave in, to which she cheered happily.

Arkham Asylum turned out to be a tall fortress of a clinic on a lonely hill, with a spiraling drive way.

Inside of the large and hollow property, a spiral staircase seemed to lead endlessly down into a black abyss.

Putting his Asylum Pass around his neck, Scott followed Emma and some other students and a guard.

There were rows of cells on either side of them as they walked down a dim corridor.

Scott glanced to the side, in a barred cell a pretty and slender young woman with voluminous red hair in a white jumpsuit peered over her shoulder at him, large ivy-green eyes sparkling seductively directly at him. She reminded him of Jean a little. He watched mesmerized as she continued to watch his moving form, while pouring water over some potted plants on a shelf.

Emma nudged him sharply in the ribs, causing him to grunt. "That's Poison Ivy! The most dangerous woman in Gotham, locked up right here! Better not get too close or lost in her charms, she's poisonous." The blonde sarcastically grinned at Scott.

In the next cell, a tall man with broad shoulders and dark hair and a strangely textured face with exaggerated features, grinned out from the bars. A girl outside the bars was interviewing him. Scott called out, "Harleen! What are you doing here?"

Her goldenrod pig tails jiggled as she adjusted her glasses and looked at Scott, the same vacant and perpetually puzzled face, "What a surprise! Scott, I intern here, I'm a peer counselah, remember? Call me Harley, my mother called me Harleen. Now if you excuse me, I must get back to some research."

She resumed her conversation through the bars.

Scott walked on, not keen on the idea of walking through the cells like the inmates and patients were zoo animals.

Emma stopped to observe a man sitting on his cot hunched over. The leading doctor on staff explained to the students what was significant about his psychology.

"You may know of him as Two-Face, and also the clean-cut district attorney of Gotham, Harvey Dent. His psychological deformities are apparent with the physical."

Scott looked in at his silhouetted profile, the guy looked normal, like one of those poster boy politicians.

Emma uttered to him, "I read about this guy. The Batman brought him here, much like 50% of the inmates in the bottom level cells."

At the mention of Batman, the man turned his face to fully look through the bars. The other side of his face was mangled and scarred beyond repair, a face one would imagine on a zombie.

A boy with a goatee that came with the student group gasped audibly, "How does someone become like that?"  
Scott looked back at Harvey Dent, staring into the face of humanity ravaged and marred by the dark side. This was a good man who had given into the provocations of the darkness. Evil fought harder the better a person was or the more good they had.

As they walked back up towards the sunlight, Emma requested, "Can I hide some of my valuable things in your room? My roommate is a kleptomaniac, she keeps stealing my things and I'm this close to telling her I'm telepathic and I know what she's doing. The little bitch is a natural thief, and she's just as catty as those fur balls that make my allergies act up."

Reluctantly, Scott appeased, "You might as well move in, you barely spend time in your room anyway. I didn't bring that much stuff, so I have some extra closet room for yours. Dick's gone most nights, he's definitely a night owl, so he shouldn't mind you free loading our room."

The pair grabbed food at the campus cyber cafe.

A solid young man with broad rugby shoulders joined them, smiling amiably. He had big glasses on, and curled brown hair. He was Hank McCoy, an upperclassman who had also graduated high school from Xavier's and was now in his final year at GU.

Emma told him about their day at the asylum. "It was absolutely fascinating, how the minds of these complex individuals work is above the average human's reasoning. Some of them are geniuses, I find them very relate-able "

Scott worriedly said, "Sounds like you're getting ideas...You're not researching them for your own evil purposes...are you?"  
Emma narrowed her eyes and laughed aloud, "Scott, darling, you look so concerned. I gave up my villainy a long time ago. Getting ideas...? Maybe."

She wiggled her nose to the side impishly.

Scott rounded his eyes at her, genuinely worried, and Hank guffawed. "I've heard rumors about Arkham... Would certainly never want to end up there."

Emma affirmed her friend, "You could never end up there, I can't imagine you ever going crazy and losing yourself. Your heart is immune to corruption, Henry, you're the most gentle and intelligent beast."

Hank looked at Emma and told Scott, "I'm taking the train down to the X-Mansion, need me to tell Jean anything?"

"Ask her when she can visit I guess, I don't want to push it."

Emma crowed, "Finally, I can meet the Jean Scott has dreams about!"

Scott cried out, "I do not have dreams about Jean!"

He stood up and threw a biodegradable napkin down, leaving his friends, "Don't tell her that!"

Emma confided in Hank, "Telepath-sleeps right next to him-knows, yeah, he so does dream about her."

Hank replied, "Sleeps right next to him? You two aren't-."  
Emma blew out a frustrated breath, "Unfortunately, no. Just friends. I have bad allergies to cats."

It was cold in his dorm room when he got in, and as usual, his roommate was not there, and the window was wide open, when Scott remembered closing it.

He flipped a kitchen knife from the tiny sink in the dorm, into his hand, when he heard a very high-pitched giggle in his room.

"Whatcha gonna do with that, stab a goyrle like me?"

Scott uttered out a shout, at the sight of the white-faced, black masked red and black clown from his first night at GU.

She cackled girlishly, obnoxiously.

"Look I ain't gonna pull no tricks, take off my mask."

He wavered, "What?"

She grinned cheekily, "Well take it off!"

He held the knife up, and with his other hand, ripped her mask off.

Bright blue eyes shone at him, large and vacuous, docile even.

He wiped the rest of her face paint off and pulled her spiky hat off. She yelled in his face, "Suh-pwise!"

Scott speechlessly dropped the knife. Harley Quinzel exclaimed rapidly, "I followed ya that night you stopped me from havin' my fun! Now since I'ze showed ya mine...you show me YOURS!"

She leaned forward with her hand on her hips. Scott gulped, Emma had been right, this girl was a stage 5 stalker.

But her face was so youthful and sweet and vulnerable. She urged him, "I won't tell if you won't tell Scott! I know what you are, and in truth, I sort of admire you for it! Maybe we could even work together!"

He hardened, "I won't be mugging people or committing petty crimes for the sake of disorder anytime soon."

She flopped dramatically on his bed, the back of her hand raised against her forehead. "Woe is I, ya see, Harley Q. didn't have the nicest family, in fact, my brotha's a loser who used my schola-ship money on his squandering, and my dad was a cruel con man! That's one of the main reasons why I'm studying to be a psychologist, to understand what could make a man do what he did to our family. I've always been made fun of by the people around me. I have a mad love, don't you have that one mad love? That one burning love for a person that just oughta drive you crazy?" Her loopy Brooklyn Accent went up and down in volume, "That poiss-on you want so bad, who you would do anything for? And you know they ain't good for you sometimes, but you just keep going back?"

Scott tensed, "Yeah."

She suggested, "Well as your occupational therapist, why don't I suggest that I help you get over that poiss-son and you can help me with mine!"

Scott sat down next to her on the bed, "Why do you keep going back to someone when you know you shouldn't? You should know better than that."

Harley sighed, her goldenrod pigtails bobbing, "'Cause I'm the only one who understands him! Who'll love him, and everyone says he won't love me back, but I jus' knowzit he needs me! But I can't stay let down 'cause of him, I just got outta that awful loony bin, and he's what made me loony!"

Scott put his arm around her, protectively, "Well he's far away now, and he can't bother you. You'll be fine, you're alright to me, Harley."

She popped her pink bubble gum loudly, a bubble bursting in his face. It smelled like strawberry mint, a flavor from a pack of gum Scott had just bought. "Is that my gum? Harley, how long have you been here?"

She coyly touched her nose, smiling at him and grabbed his sunglasses off his face. Scott shut his eyes and lunged at her. She bent out of reach and blurted out, "Let's play a game, the first game in getting to know each otha bettah!"

She ran her hands down his chest and stomach, titillating his blind senses.

Her lips brushed against his as she muttered, "Relax and go with what you feel ya big stiffy. Listen to that thing called intuition."

He moved against her and found his sunglasses in her hands behind her, feeling with his fingers

She gave him several long smooches as they tussled for his sunglasses.

2 hours later in typical college dorm make out style, she left his room, triumphant, and pigtails bouncing unevenly.

The girl across the hall watched hawk-like at the upperclassman girl sneaking out of her neighbor's room.

Scott appeared at the door, grinning from ear to ear. Emma shot out, "She's actually psycho you know, like palpably insane. She is that crazy girl you get restraining orders against."

Scott grinned lopsidedly, "Call me crazy, but...I think she's cute! She drives me wild. I've never made out with a girl for that long!"

Emma slammed her door.

* * *

Feeling fresh, damp soft green grass rooted in mud, Scott bent down to receive a rugby ball his friend and practice partner threw at him.

As Scott hustled down the field, he ran head to head with Hank who confided in between pants, "Had tea with Jean, she's juggling subjects as always. Did mention that she went on a date with Warren once. Wants you to know she's still coming to visit. Didn't say when."

Scott halted, digging his cleats into the ground, "You mean she's dating Warren?" Hank ran ahead of him, catching the ball, "She said she went on a date with him. That's all Scott."

Scott grunted as he tackled an opposing team member, "I guess-it's official-we're not together."

Hank helpfully said, "It just means you're still kind of together, but you can see other people."

Scott slide-tackled into the mud, "We'll see."

* * *

Scott tried not to chuckle as he handed a pair of green tights to Dick that he had found on the floor. "Grayson, I think these might be yours."

It could have been his or some girl's that was with him, but either way they were green tights.

Dick laughed nervously, grabbing them, "Golly, thanks Scott, I should, uh return them." Scott complimented the Batman poster Dick had hung above his bed, "Batman's a real hero around here I assume. He sounds good, why does the public hate him?"

Dick exasperatedly sighed, "They don't exactly hate him, well some of us don't, he's just not registered so he's technically breaking laws, he's a criminal for the secret hero stuff he does. He's a vigilante, and people fear him because they don't know him-he's not like some public senator shaking hands with everyone."

Scott could relate to that, though on a different scale.

Scott questioned, "There are a lot of mobs and mafia gangs here?"  
Dick nodded, "It's Batman's job to stop them, the ones that evade the crooked police."

"You care a lot about justice, did you say you were going to be a lawyer or something?"

Dick laughed, "I'm the boy genius around here, I don't need to be a lawyer to bring justice. My parents were acrobats, we had a trapeze act at the circus and some gangsters working for the Mobster Tony Zucco sabotaged their wires and killed them. I'm going to do more than just serve some mobsters in trial, I'm going to effectively wipe Gotham clean. With the degree to do it."

Scott could see why Dick was a fan of Batman, and he too emphasized with the young boy.

"I was an orphan, my parents died in a plane crash, saving me and, my brother. I know they gave me their lives, but I still feel pretty guilty about having it."

Dick patted Scott's back, "I wouldn't get too torn up, it couldn't be your fault. Word of advice, because I think you're a decent fellow. I hear you've been going around with that Harley Quinzel. For your own safety, stay away from her, she's not what she seems."

Scott grinned, "Sure, she's a bit kooky, but she's alright when you get to know her."

As if he could not understand how Scott could like a girl like Harley, Dick sighed, "Suit yourself."

Venturing down to the dark labs where Harley could often be found working late, Scott approached her poring over a document.

She smiled at him merrily, her large glasses covering her eyes and her blonde hair tied up in a bun. She wore a tight red turtleneck underneath her white lab coat and she spoke crisply and evenly, without an accent, perhaps only a hint. "Right when I was just starting to miss you! I'm finishing up some analysis's on Mr. J, but I let him know I'm over him."

Scott skeptically questioned, "You had a pretty weird and long relationship with this Mr. J are you sure about that?" She was talking normally now which was weird, but Scott wondered how Dick or Emma could call this girl with such a sensible dictation insane or foolish.

She leaned over her lab table and grabbed his shirt collars, yanking him towards her, "Since I've been seeing more of you, I've been visiting him less and less. I can't be around him, he's always saying things he knows I want to hear, and you're always saying things you don't know I do want to hear. True, super-criminals are glamorous, but you make being good look so good!"

She kissed him rewarding the young mutant.

"Dick said I should stay away from you."

Harley giggled, "Well Mr. Dick Grayson was raped by a giant tarantula. Or so I heard."

That diverted Cyclops' attention.

* * *

Running out to a sleek black car, Dick pulled a black mask on his face.

He hopped in, and was met by a low, growling voice, "The night waits for us."

Dick groveled, "I have several floors to run down!"

The car zoomed off, towards the city over which the Batman symbol lit up the sky.

* * *

Settling into his bed, Dick prompted Scott who was reading a book in his, "I need you to help me out."

Scott put his book down on his chest, and Dick babbled excitedly, "It's about a girl that lives across from us. I need you to ask out your friend Emma, on a double date, which shouldn't be too hard for you. Tell her without saying I said it, that Selina should come as the double with me."

"You want to go on a date with the cat girl? All that teasing me about Harley being crazy and you want to go out with the creepy cat girl who's got at least 8 of them hidden in her dorm? Emma counted! And she hardly goes out, she just stays in knitting and being creepy with her kitties. Fat chance she'd go out if Emma or I asked. I'm with Harley now, I can't go on dates for you. Also, Selina's an upperclassman, would she want to go out with younger kids?"

Dick pleaded, "Fine, just come along as friends, accompanying roommates on a date. I'm sure if you ask Emma to ask, it would work out. I don't know how to talk to her, Scott!"

Scott snorted, "Probably because you can't talk to her? She never leaves the dorm?"

Dick threw his pillow at Scott, who caught it and threw it back.

Dick begged, "There's something about her, so mysterious and frisky I need to get to know her."

Scott propped himself on his elbow and consented, "Okay, I'll see what I can do. I don't know how you can describe her as mysterious or frisky, but like you say Grayson, suit yourself."

Dick bounced up on his bed and yodeled eagerly.

Scott sent Emma notice of what he discussed with Dick, through their telepathic link. She surprisingly supported the idea, saying she would take care of fixing Selina up for a double date the next day.

* * *

**Not much action here, but I thought I'd rip Harley's mask off fast like ripping off a band aid. They always revealed her so fast and easily in the cartoons/comics, so I went for that. Should Dick be Nightwing or Robin?**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Shout outs to reviewers! Wow you guys really made my day!**

**MechaBunny: Thank you so much I am so lucky to have you reading! There are lots of fishy things just starting to happen.**

**TheWritingGirl23: Right on the spot you are! That is exactly what I had in mind, X-Men Evo and Batman The Animated Series. Though I picture Batman/Bruce in here to look more like the version in the newer cartoon The Batman, though Dick like TAS one. Good call on the Selina thing. Also you're right about the Scott and Harley part being rushed, but I applaud you for having the observant/open mind to give it a chance of not being implausible. I do love the Batman villains, but I think right now Scott is focused on his schooling. Thanks for your honest review!**

**rayman0411: Haha you bring up a very good point, Nightwing is cooler! timing is definitely right. Thanks for your opinion I really appreciate it.**

* * *

Dick Grayson, Boy Wonder, and Batman's secret sidekick, tied a red bow tie to his white shirt collar and snapped his suspenders in place, he had to be on his guard today.

He had crushed on the elusive Selina, Emma Frost's roommate ever since he had moved into the Gotham Golden Hall Dorms. Tonight was finally the night he made his move and got to talk to her out in the open, she was always shut away in the dorms with her cats, Dick itched to finally get his chance. He had recently graduated from being Robin, the boyhood persona he had lived out heroically at Batman's side, but since college began, he had been trying a new thing, independently working from the dark knight. He turned in the red t shirt and tights for a new, darker, older-looking uniform, one that meant he could tackle crime on his own too. As the older, bigger Night Wing, Dick had been feeling unstoppable lately, possibly like even how his mentor Batman felt. Going on a date with a girl was one of his first steps of independent manhood, Night Wing was different and even braver than Robin.

Gelling his night black hair back, he met with his roommate, Scott in the hallway.

Scott had chosen to wear a black button up shirt tucked into black pants with black shoes, his brown hair neatly combed.

Scott cleared his throat quirking a brow at Dick, and knocked on Emma's and Selina's door.

Emma came out looking excited for once, and whispered to Scott, "It took all day, but I did some good work on our floor's reclusive cat lady."

Scott opened his mouth to answer, but caught sight of Emma in a white evening gown that ran down her frame like ivory milk. She slanted her eyes cruelly and jovially at him, digging her nails into his thigh and pinching him through his black pants, "Since I'm doing you and Dickie a favor and made Selina into an acceptable date, you better make tonight's date for me extremely convincing."

Scott turned to her, too hypnotized by her to notice when Selina stepped out, quietly shaking hands with Dick who was taken by the results of Emma's make over.

Emma had set Selina's hair down, tumbling it into thick soft dark brown waves that set off her dark cat-eyes which twinkled sassily without thick spectacles covering them up.

Dick gaped at Selina's sculpted leg protruding from her black leather dress, which laced up in the back. "Selina! Dick Grayson...I've glimpsed you before, but never got to show myself. You're even jazzier in person than I thought!"

Selina beamed, "Charmed, Dick Grayson." She complimented his cuff links, "Are these real gold?"

They set off into the night for their dates, setting out for dinner after a late night Gotham University stand up show.

They were at an upscale restaurant, waiting to be seated in a crowded waiting room.

A wave of people began pushing past them, camera flashes going off.

A broadly built man with black hair and a square jaw, and a roughly cut nose arrived through the mass of people. He wore a tailored suit and had an international figure skater and a foreign supermodel on either side of him. The owner of the restaurant ushered him in enthusiastically shouting, "No wait for you Mr. Wayne!"

Dick sprang forward, yelling indignantly, "Hey, we've been waiting forever!"

Scott muttered, "Just because we're piss broke college students doesn't mean we can't eat here!"

Selina narrowed her large orbs of cat eyes at the man, "Bruce Wayne, prince of Gotham. He's the richest man, he practically owns everything. What a sleaze! Lots of money and treasures though!"

Dick laughed, "Look at that lucky bastard! He can get any woman he wants. Would you girls say no to a billionaire like that?"

Emma laced her arm through Scott's as they were finally seated at a table, "I don't need any more wealth, and that kind of power has stopped interesting me. I'm actually not so sure I could be with an older guy that much older than me. It'd be icky. I used to think it was an exciting idea but now I'm not so sure."

Scott cracked up, "When were you age-appropriate ever?"

Selina darkly grinned as she sipped from her glass, in the candlelight her smile looked fanged, her thick curled lashes cast a spiky shadow over her cheeks,"I've been with an older man, I love it. I assume he was older, but I don't know much about him. So much mystery and uncertainty. He was very unavailable." Scott noticed how Dick could maybe find Selina attractive, as he marveled that there was indeed a decent older girl under her facade of ponytails, spectacles, and large shirts with prints of cats on them. Who knew taking glasses off could make such a difference, and hair!

This was a shock to Scott, who had assumed Selina was a lone girl who never left her room or had had relations other than with her cats. What should have been a less mobile form turned out to be an intensely toned body in a leather dress with suggestible straps. Scott definitely thought Emma must have picked the dress, though it did do justice to Selina's normally hidden body. Her lips were luscious and painted a dark magenta, Scott still couldn't believe this was the same creepy roommate.

He announced, "Dick's got a cat named Powder back home! Show her pictures, Dick."

Dick began to sweat slightly and laughed nervously, "Aw I don't wanna bore her with my snap shots!" Selina eagerly darted forward, her hands curled over his forearm, "Oh please do show me! I love kitty-cats! You're a cat-guy?"

Dick shrugged, "I had a pet cat growing up, and when my parents died I kept it."

He took his wallet out, showing her the thumbnail pictures of his cat.

Emma turned from Selina admiring the pictures, "Tonight's going well I'd say."

Scott bowed his glossy brown head at her, "Yes, thank you again Emma, Dick's so happy."

"I suppose this is what having friends is like. I never thought it would be like this, can't say I don't like it though, with you as a friend. Did you know I went throughout preschool and high school without a single friend besides my brother?"

Scott considered her for a moment, "Get out, I don't believe a queen bee like you ever lacked lackeys. Between you and I, I was the same way, orphanages didn't make for friendly places. You're the kind of princess who put guys like me to shame, ever since you were old enough to push a boy off the swings on the playground."

Emma shook with peals of laughter, "Those are some childhood memories I want to go over with you more vividly later. Some Freudian way of explaining why you don't trust me so much?"

"Emma, are you serious? You really have to ask me? Have you lost your powers or something? Regardless, it's obvious, you're an ex-villain, of course I don't trust you by default. But I think I've shown you I do, by trusting you as my friend."

By knowing his mind, Emma confirmed that this was also a reason Scott really did not see her as a romantic option either. It was not just that she was platonic to him exactly, but he had such a deep moral code that he separated bad guy associates in his head so clearly, despite who they were or whether they looked like Emma Frost.

She did not know what to even think about that obstacle in his brain that neutralized her.

"The other X-Men wouldn't be as trusting and nice to me as you."

Scott replied, "The X-Men's policy is pretty forgiving, I try to uphold that policy."

"Harley was associated with a villain, why do you find her attractive?" Emma had to know. The perky and cutesy mentally unhinged girl was the last person someone like Scott would look at, yet he was so struck by her apparently adorable charms. Scott shrugged, "She wasn't my rival, and I wouldn't really count her as a villain or bad. She was just having some fun with a crazy guy who took advantage of her, she barely knows what she's doing. She's a really smart girl, this guy just knew what to say to people that would personally trigger them. He showed her a false friendship and made her laugh, she was really lonely at the time. She's past that though, I make her laugh and I return her calls." Scott smiled proudly, as if this was something to applaud.

Emma laughed in his face, "You make me laugh all the time and you don't mean to. You're into clown fetishes you sick hunk. Hooking up with a girl who wears a clown suit is risque."

"She doesn't wear that anymore! I don't like clowns, they creep me out, and we have not taken our relationship that far yet. Harley's hot! I don't get why you can't see that, she's nice to look at right away."

Emma hid her face to Selina and choked trying to contain her laughter. "All that going for him and he's still such a nerd!"

A nerd who liked other 'hot' nerds.

As the four ate their dinner, Emma's white heeled foot shifted and swept up Scott's leg. He kicked her under the table gently.

By the end, Selina had Dick totally charmed, and the two stared into one another's eyes, lost in their own worlds.

Dick mumbled out, "...Could get lost in your eyes."

Selina snickered, "Yours are like midnight, my favorite time. Could have sworn you batted for the other team."

Emma hid a smile behind her hand.

Scott chuckled, "Look at those two lovebirds."

She answered, "Makes you feel kind of gooey inside, right? You should be paying more attention to your own very lonesome and neglected date."

He mockingly put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her neck softly between his arm, fondly. "Don't pretend to be so glum Emma, you can get any guy you wanted, you're just playing with me."

The group left and strolled down the dark streets of Gotham. Night entertainers and beggars made for a colorful freak show sporadically lining the street.

A short man on a stool on the sidewalk with a dummy on his lap was yammering out through the dummy's mouth, "Nice night, eh cap'n?"

The short man hollered, "Don't jinx it yet Sal!"

The dummy's small painted head rotated, his large glassy and vacant eyes following the four students.

* * *

Scott flashed his dorm key pass up to the glass entrance of their dark granite building.

It beeped and let them in.

They came up to a hall, engraved on a shiny granite wall, a silver metal plate read: Gotham Golden Hall.

Dick swiped his key and lead the way to their rooms.

As Dick said his goodbyes to Selina at her door, Emma leaned against Scott against his, and had her arms around him, stroking the fuzzy soft part of the back of his neck, she pouted in a playful tone, a swanky saxophone tune playing outside the window with a late night jazz band on the streets. "You'll call me won't you, Batman?"

"Pretty, deadly little thing like you? Not a chance, Poison Ivy."

He grinned sharply back down at her, darting his chin forth and crossing his arms.

"What's with you and Poison Ivy? It's a redhead thing isn't it. Or the crazy part." She swatted him. He grinned, "I had fun Emma, 'night."

She leaned in closing her eyes for a kiss, he pushed her face away and shrugged helplessly when she squinted at him though his fingers.

Dick saw Selina into her room and then came back to his, grabbing a bag. He looked down at his cuffs and hesitated, "That's funny, both my cuff links are gone!"

Emma arched an eyebrow, "Maybe they fell off? Or...Selina does have a klepto tendency."

Dick laughed out loud incredulously, "She's stolen my cufflinks...!" That night, she had also stolen his heart from under his nose.

"I uh gotta go." Dick said quickly.

Scott unbuttoned the top of his shirt and frowned, "This late? We just got back, where are you off to again?"

Teasingly, Emma hinted, "Am I being kicked out of my room tonight?"

He blurted out, "Um, yeah! Emma you can sleep in here for the night, I won't be back."

Dick ran out and slammed the door in a hurry.

Emma smirked, "I didn't expect Selina to be that fast." She leaped over Scott's legs to reach the drawer she had kept her belongings in.

* * *

Coming out to the steps in front of Gotham University's geometric Astrophysics building with the birds chirping and afternoon sun shining, Scott checked his phone for messages.

Harley Quinzel had texted: Daytime date?

Eagerly, he texted back, briskly going out to meet her, she had mentioned wanting to take their relationship to the next level recently, and Scott felt more than ready, tonight he would ask her to officially be his girlfriend, before anyone else could claim the girl. He had been careful and cautious with her, understanding she was coming out vulnerable after a slew of events in her life, and also out of respect for his loyalty to Jean. However, being apart from the world he knew and discovering the new world of Gotham and his university, his perspective shifted and adapted.

* * *

After being guided by a campus guide, into the strange and twisted sinister city's University, Jean Grey walked up a straight steep block-cut granite staircase, surrounded by high dark gray shiny marble walls. Her steps echoed in the lonely, vast and hollow hall of the huge dorm building she was given a room number to find her fellow X-Man Scott in.

A couple Gothic kids stared ominously at Jean, holding poetry books, as she hurried by with her suitcase in hand, and a scarf wrapped about her neck.

It was a strange and desolate place but it was impressive and magnificent nonetheless with a strange variety of people.

Coming up to a door with Scott's name plate on it, Jean knocked hesitantly.

Some jocks and athletic preppy girls with Gotham University sweaters on over polo shirts bustled by, waving their golf clubs and lacrosse sticks around,toting 36 packs of beer under their beefed up arms.

A pair of guys followed shortly after them, books tucked in their arms, wearing striped ties in sweater vests.

One of them stopped and asked, "Are you looking for Scott Summers?"

Jean nodded, he shook her hand warmly, "Hi, I'm Dick, his roommate, I'll let you in."

He reached into his pocket for a key and opened the door.

The dorm room was clean enough for two boys living there.

A thin platinum blonde girl stirred from within Scott's plush navy blue bed.

She was stacked underneath the layers of thick blue comforter, wearing lacy light pink lingerie. When Jean and Scott had gone college shopping in New York, she had picked those sheets out for him.

Emma Frost, the former White Queen whom Jean last saw attacking the X-Men, was in Scott Summers' bed in lingerie and fast asleep.

She certainly looked different and less frightening without that manic power-hungry glare on her face, but it was an odd sight nonetheless.

Emma had gone to sleep wearing one of Scott's large GU shirts, but she had gotten hot and discarded it on the floor.

Jean's blood ran cold.

Dick announced, "Scotty's in class now, he should be done soon, or he might be getting lunch, I can call him if you'd like."

Not taking her eyes of Emma who blearily sat up, her sparkling pale hair mussed up, Jean replied curtly, "Please."

Emma got up, grabbing Scott's shirt off the ground and throwing it over herself, hanging barely above her thighs.

She pulled open a drawer and grabbed a pair of lacy underwear out of dozens, and a change of clothes before daintily rushing for the restroom.

Jean questioned, "She has a drawer here? Girls keep their underwear at Scott's? College really has changed him."

Dick snapped his fingers, "You must be Jean! The girl Scott can't shut up about. He pines for you nonstop."

Jean shifted uncomfortably, she was the same with Scott, but she had gone on a date or two with Warren, which she knew would have bothered him. They hadn't been very fun dates, but Jean tried to branch out more for college.

She wished Scott had not moved so far out, but she knew she was just being selfish.

Emma returned in a white tank top and white shorts with white sneakers and white ankle-high socks.

Wickedly looking at Jean, Emma explained, "We meet again Jean Grey! Dick and my roommate exiled me from my room last night and Scott has been kind enough to let me sleep in his bed. He slept in Dick's though of course. The same roommate has sticky paws so I like to keep my more valuable things in here, Scott's been a wonderful sport about it. Not to worry though, I haven't corrupted your X-Men or anything, I'm not his girlfriend."

Jean incredulously wondered, "Scott has a girlfriend?"

Dick threw his hands up, "Pretty much, it seems like its going that way. She's kind of a loon though. I can't really imagine how he finds her appealing."

Emma sighed, "The boy's taste is the most confusing aspect about him."

Jean contacted Hank telepathically who thought that he would meet her right away.

Jean asked, "Well I need to meet Hank at some Cyber Cafe, can someone let me know how to get there?" Now that she was in this new place without Scott to confirm her arrival and surrounded by strange unfamiliar faces, she longed for a familiar face.

Emma remarked, "Ah I'll go with you! I do need to chat with Hank."

The redhead's face strained and she said tonelessly, "Great."

Dick rubbed his stomach, "I'm hungry, I'll tag along. I'll see where Scott is."

Hank forked a green sausage into his mouth, scarfing down a meal before his next lecture.

Jean drank her fruit juice from a carton and caught up with him, as Dick shoveled down mac n cheese and a sub.

Emma had ordered a late breakfast of eggs and toast.

* * *

As the sun set, the sky over Gotham turned a dark red.

Scott stared up at it, from his opaque red shades and appreciated the calming darkness of it all around.

Harley leaned over the balcony they stood on and dreamily sighed, "Would ya look at that? The sultriest sunset if I ever saw one. Red. What a color."

Scott stood behind her, hugging her, "It's definitely your color." Harley twisted her neck to look back at his chiseled face. "Our color. It's lovely on you too."

They kissed, silhouetted against the bloody sky and orange sun. Harley's leg popped up, as the sun sank lower, and she stained Scott's mouth with smudges of the deep red lipstick she wore, her big round glasses reflected white, obscuring her closed eyes.

He stated, "I want to be with you indefinitely."

She hugged him close feverishly, "Scott I want to be with you too. I'm ready to take the next step with you. I know it's unprofessional of me as an OT but goodness me, I need you!"

He took her hands, "So you'll do it? You'll be my girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?! Why, is that what you thought I meant?"

Scott blinked, "Yes?"

She kissed him delightedly, "I didn't mean that, but, oh, oh yes!"

She hugged him and Scott patted her back, quirking a brow wondering what she meant.

The young man gallantly dipped her in his arms, as they kissed once more.

Over them, leaping off the rooftop to a neighboring building, a figure in a dark all-black suit with a blue bird emblazoned on the chest, wearing a black eye mask tossed a ninja star at a slender figure in a black leather cat suit.

"Where's the big boy? Batman? I miss him, he hasn't been around as much." She mewed, as she slung a treasure box she had just confiscated from the museum about, cattily.

"I'm Nightwing! Robin is dead, Batman doesn't need a sidekick and I don't either. This way we can deal with more scum like you at the same time! Give back the box, Catwoman. We've done this hundreds of times."

She slunk towards him, her claws forward. "Will you give a message to Batman for me? Tell him old Catwoman's getting lonely these nights, and can't wait around forever."

She dropped the box carelessly at his feet, the ancient artifact splintering.

Night Wing cried out, as she trailed a claw up and down his cheek, digging in, ripping his skin open.

She stuck the tip of her sharp tongue out from her face-concealing pointy eared black leather mask and flicked it over the bleeding line, then flounced down the rooftop, disappearing down the pipes.

He held the box up, gritting his teeth when he saw that the box was empty and unlocked. She had taken the treasure and jewels inside.

* * *

Jean waited impatiently when Scott had finally replied to her and Dick's calls, Dick had waited with her after lunch but fled when he got a message on his phone.

Hank had to go to his class and Emma left for similar reasons.

Spitefully, Jean drew a mustache with one of Scott's sharpies, on a poster of a pin up of Poison Ivy Scott or Dick had set up on the adjoining wall. She noticed a theme in the Batman poster above Dick's bed, it seemed the local hero was supported by college students as a political trend. A car calendar hung over Scott's side of the room, along with a sports team's flag as well as a picture of him and the X-Men, and one of him and Jean.

She heard the door open and Scott came in, letting out a startled, "Jean! I'm so sorry I didn't look at my phone until just now, I had no idea you'd be coming today!"

He had red lipstick smudges all over his mouth, giving him away along with his usually impeccable, rumpled brown hair.

She scowled, "Red's a pretty shade on you, and all over your face."

Scott wiped at his mouth, gasping at the lipstick that came off on his hand.

"I met someone. Her name's Harley Quinzel and she's a junior, she's nice to me though and there's something about her I like."

"I guess we're back to being friends again then." She smiled wryly.

Scott's face fell slightly and he apologetically said, "I'll always have a special place in my heart for you, I don't know how to deal with not being with you."

She agreed, "Long distance isn't working. It's so hard to be apart and when I do see you again, it's so easy, but maybe...after this we shouldn't see each other for a while, until we're ready."

Scott sighed, "You always have the mature answer to everything."

"I try. I'm disappointed in your choice of friends though. That house bunny Emma?"

Scott blushed, "I never expected to be friends with an X-rival, but I can't avoid her she lives right across from me and she's close with Hank. I could never go for her though, you know that, she was a bad guy! How's um, Warren?"

Curtaining her face with her hair, Jean said, "He's good. He's been around a lot more for his accounting courses. He told me about some places I should try in Gotham, he's been here for business before."

Scott spread his arms, "I'll take you out tonight, my treat. Wherever you feel like. I'll even invite Hank if you want. You have to tell me everything about school so far."

Dick burst in, slightly red and perspiring, he had a band aid over a cut on his face. His tie was crumpled. "Good evening lady and gent! Woof, those stairs do kill me every time!"

Scott asked, "What happened to your face?" Dick exasperated, "Shaving cut!"

"Looks like you got mauled by a cat", Scott boldly hinted.

Dick pointed at his face, crossing his eyes and sticking his tongue to the side, shot back, trying to throw Scott off, "Looks like you got mauled by a nutty Ms. Harley Q."

Scott fiercely rubbed his lips with his sleeve.

* * *

Nightwing's heavy boots crunched on the layer of ice covering the ground in Arkham Asylum.

A mangled, frozen security guard's corpse lay on the ground, thawing.

Water dripped from the higher staircases, as ice melted off.

He shone his bright hi-tech flash light at an almost invisible, camouflaged pure black figure with pointed ears and white sharp eyes.

The figure unfurled its consuming black cape and Batman stepped forward, "Mr. Freeze got out, there was a leak in the lines connecting to his freezer cell."

Nightwing shone his flashlight around, "Any other inmates escape?"

Batman, "Not accounted for yet, but I would keep on a look out. This might be a two-man job."

Nightwing shook Batman's gloved hand firmly, "It's a partnership."

* * *

"Your roommate's kind of skittish. He's in and out a lot."

Scott brought Jean to the University's advanced gym, with state of the art equipment.

They mounted two machines side by side and began a work out. Scott commented, "Dick's kind of mysterious, I think he's just a nocturnal guy he stays up all night studying or working, maybe he's just more productive then. He's nice, and he doesn't go out too much, and neither do I so it's a good fit. I think he lives in the library though."

Harley, in a mint green shirt and black shorts, and her blonde hair up in pigtails, round glasses slightly askew on her nose, slouched in an electric cycle with a magazine to her nose and her legs up, cycling.

She noticed Scott and skipped over, smacking a kiss on his lips.

Scott grinned happily and put his arm around her, he gestured, "Harley, this is Jean, my best friend from home I told you about, Jean this is Harley, my, I guess, girlfriend."

Jean bravely put a smile on and took in Scott's new girlfriend, a cute and pretty, feminine slim girl with nerdy round glasses and adorable pigtails. She had the incriminating red lipstick that set off her pert lips.

She certainly was not what Jean would have expected Scott's girlfriend to be or look like. When she spoke, she sounded intelligent and sane enough, she was definitely attractive, but also out of Scott's comfort zone.

After their exercise, they walked out into the quad. A guy in a slurpee costume waves flyers around, "Come to Freezer Burns' for an everything flavored Slurpee 3/4 price off!"

Some guys and girls leaving the gym, jogged towards the slurpee store ditching their power drinks. A buff jock pushed the slurpee mascot over.

Harley was explaining her internship to Jean, "I explore the intricate minds and roots of super criminals and what drives a person to be pushed that far, or if they were already thinking a certain way different from what society expects. Some of these people were abused and neglected like any other person, or maybe more. It's not too different from your medical studies, except I see how to determine if the mind is sick, not the body. These masterminds are fascinating!"

Heavy chunks of jagged ice rocks broke out into the quad, exploding behind the slurpee shop.

Students screamed, a hippie who had been strumming on his guitar stopped and stared bug eyed at the thick flow of ice spreading all over the shop.

A stream of ice shot out towards the people passing by, Scott shot out an optic beam, crushing the ice extending over the people so it crumbled uselessly.

He and Jean and Harley ran away from the crumbling ice bergs on the ground, shielding themselves as Batman appeared, with Nightwing by his side, facing a pale blue man in a glass contraption who bellowed, "Freezer burn for all of Gotham! Mr. Freeze is back."


	4. Chapter 4

**TheWritingGirl23: Unfortunately not much action on Mr. F here, my bad, i wrote the chapter and realized i forgot him but do not fear! and imagine him as whoever you want, that's the wonderful thing about ff you can imagine the characters anyway your head wants. arkham city characters are pretty cool and scarily bad ass. here's my personal line up in mind when writing: Scott as a hybrid Evo Scott/ultimate x-men comic scott/bendis & bachalo uncanny x-men(2013 run), Emma as a younger generic comic version (when she's drawn right), bruce as The Batman, Robin as TAS, Mr. F as the arnold schwarznegger movie one (but only because that's the only 1 i can vividly remember, catwoman in the CURRENT comics but younger, harley from TAS, and jean from evo. phew i exhausted that list.**

**I'm glad you got the selina/batman thing. hahaha it is pretty crazy how many students at gotham college have secret identities.**

**When I began this, I didn't know that there actually was a Gotham University often featured in the story, I just kind of thought it out but I revisited old episodes of the cartoons and saw that it is canon already, which is awesome. I took one of the beginning parts from the last episode of batman the animated series, but with my own lazier twists of course. and yes, nothing too special with jean right now, i always want to do something with her in the fics but always get sidetracked by different ships so i don't know what to do with her and i don't hate her at the moment but i'm not focused on her so she's just kind of in the background for now. once marvel killed her off i just stamped her as dead and gone in my head, but i do give props to those jean shippers who uphold her legacy and believe she never dies. lol selina and dick are so interesting together, they make a weird couple, he's so sensitive and normal and she's so catty and sneaky. omg she would have a field day if she knew she got both of them. Thanks for your humbling and really sharp review! Hope you find this chapter alright.**

* * *

Putting the last pieces of a physics model together, Scott muttered, "With the formula solved, we'll win the science fair for sure! Thanks for your help, Harley."

She handed him a wrench and touched his bottom lip with her finger, pushing it down and exposing a corner of his stark white teeth.

"The pleasure's mine Summers. Our synergy is magnetic, who knew science fair projects could be so stimulating."

"Smart and beautiful, what'd I do to deserve you." He drew her towards himself and she pushed herself against him, abandoning the plans for their scientific model.

She poked her round glasses up on her head and he grinned lopsidedly, breath taken, "Wow."

As they proceeded to passionately make out on top of their lab table, a lanky, bookish man stepped in, scolding, "The lab is open for academic use, not sex education 101!"

Blushing, Scott helped Harley up who crammed her glasses back on.

Harley spoke up, "Professor Crane! We're just completing our model for the science fair, Scott solved a very complicated rare formula, and we really think we have a shot at winning this year. I'm doing it for extra credit in my psych class."

The man had brown hair and clear eyes, he was long and skinny like a scare crow with his tweed sports jacket on.

He was a professor in the psychology department at Gotham University, he taught a special subject on phobias and had also worked at Arkham Asylum as a doctor.

"That'd be a grand prize to win. I hope you stay off the table long enough to get it done."

The Professor grabbed a folder from the room and left them, with one long paranoid glare.

Harley giggled and kissed Scott some more as the teacher disappeared.

* * *

An auburn haired girl slept with her head bent over a book in her dorm room.

"Barbara! Hey Babs! Yo book worm! Ya up there?!" A male's voice broke her out of her slumber, she glanced out her open window, then at her wristwatch, a cup of cold coffee next to her.

"What is it Dick!" Her friend and peer, Dick Grayson jumped up and down trying to catch her attention, "Come out for a pizza run!"

She groaned, "I can't! Dad says I have to ace midterms or else he'll throw me in jail, and with my dad, that's no idle threat."

Dick waved his hand, "Okay! Catch you later!"

She wallowed over her books, "Math! Why'd it have to be math?" She heard a scuffing noise by her door, a school newspaper pushed through.

Barbara picked it up and read the cover, it was about some rare statuettes that had been stolen from Gotham State University's historical museum. She got an idea, "Maybe it's time for a study break."

* * *

Leaving his last class of the day, Scott was stopped by Professor Crane who pulled him aside as students walked past.

Looking intently into the young boy's sunglasses, the professor whispered in an anal tone, "You're the boy dating Harley Quinnzel aren't you?"

Scott sternly asked, "What does that have to do with you, sir?"

The professor looked around before leaning in closer and saying, "She's one of our interns at Arkham Asylum, she was recently an inmate there as you've probably heard... I don't like her method, she quite a nuisance and mad girl. Listen close young man, be very afraid of yourself and what you're capable of being pushed to do. A pretty girl is very persuasive. Especially with a joker as the puppet master pulling the puppet strings. Stay on top of your school work." He patted Scott on the arm and walked away.

Scott eyed him in puzzlement, his eyebrows over his sunglasses, "What...?"

* * *

A toned woman's figure in a skin-tight black leather cat suit and a beaded gold belt, and mask with spiky ears swung down from a roof top ceiling where an acid-eroded lock uselessly hung at the hatch.

She landed nimbly on all fours.

"Look what the cat dragged in", a girl on a rope dropped down, in a charcoal gray costume with a bat symbol on her chest, and a similar custom mask to that of Batman's, her auburn hair flowing out. She threw her cape back, confronting Catwoman.

"Bat Girl. I'm here for the same reason as you."

"You stole the statuettes, you're back to the scene of your crime." Bat Girl stepped forward menacingly.

Catwoman walked around to the taped off glass case that had held some rare items of historic value. The front of the glass box was shattered and melted by acid.

Cat Woman touched the corroded glass, "The break in was by acid, and this mess was by acid, that's just not my style. I'm a little more graceful when it comes to break ins I want to find out who stole those statuettes." She traced a perfect circle in the back of the glass case with her gloved claw, pushing a sliced circle through.

A third swung down from a cable, in a black cape, short-sleeved red shirt with green sleeves, green tights, red underwear, and a black mask.

He smart alecked, "I came to inspect a crime scene, not a convention."

Cat Woman laughed and remarked, "What happened to the big and bold Night Wing?"

Robin could not tell them that he had run out of laundry tokens the other day when he had tried to wash his Night Wing costume in his dorm's laundry room and this costume was the only clean one he had left.

"Helping Batman tonight. Hand over what you took Cat Woman, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."  
Catwoman put a claw to her chin pensively and then fiddled with her claws like she was flicking a speck of dust off of them, "Mmm...I pick...the hard way."

She swung up and kicked Bat Girl in the face, then crawled up the walls, escaping to the roof top.

Robin groaned and went after her followed by Bat Girl.

Cat Woman struck her whip down on them, catching Robin off his feet. As he staggered back up she was instantly in the air, knocking him out.

Bat Girl tossed a boomerang at her, getting her away from Robin. She edged Cat Woman against the ledge.

Robin ran forward and tossed his lasso at her, to bring her in.

"No stop!" Bat Girl pushed him so his lasso wobbled in the air and Cat Woman nimbly ran away.

He threw his hands up in the air, "You let her get away! Some help you are!"

Bat Girl bit back, "Another time, but it wasn't her this time."

"How do you know that?" Robin asked violently, the unfurled black hair spiking over his forehead shaking.

Bat Girl replied defensively, "She told me."

He cried out, "If you trusted what Cat Woman said, and you're using that as solid evidence, you're possibly the worst detective ever."

She retorted, "Oh...OH YEAH!?" Then she roundabout kicked him in the stomach and shot a zip line to another building, flying across the night sky.

Robin returned to the Bat Cave, and logged into the large computer system he had, video calling Bruce Wayne.

Bruce's face appeared, he wore a trench coat over his broad shoulders, Dick asked, "Are you coming home tonight?"

"Can't yet, Wayne Industries is still wrapping up a big deal in Tokyo, but I bought you some nice key chains with your name on them. Try to rest up until I get back, we have a Mr. Freeze to catch."

The younger boy confided, "Cat Woman's up to something, some statuettes at school were stolen, from the museum. I'm sure she was involved, she was back at the crime of her scene and I was just about to land her when that annoying Bat Girl messed everything up! She's useless, she shouldn't even bother being around."

Bruce smiled, "Give her a chance, she's been of help before and she means well, we both know sometimes even heroes need the help they can get."

* * *

"Scott."

"What?"

"Scott."

"Yes'm."

"Scott."

"..."

"Ooh, Scott!"

Scott Summers put his pencil down in his note book, and stared at Harley Quinn, her back against her bag on the grass and her feet up in the air, legs against his shoulder. She popped a piece of Cracker Jack from a box she was eating from so that it hit his ear.

She munched on a popcorn and recited playfully, "Did you know that fear is used as a control factor in systems like the government, prisons, institutes, the army, war, and the like? Even in playgrounds where kids use basic instinct and form hierarchies and gang up or tease. You don't seem like you're afraid of anything. I can tell just by staring at you all day. Nobody could intimidate my big strong Freshman."

Dick and Emma came by, sitting down with them.

Dick greeted Scott, "Hiya Scotty, what you working on?"  
"Reviewing a new theorem, and working on this logarithm."

Tugging at one of Harley's pigtails, he teased her, "You're right, I'm not afraid of anything. Except maybe distracting and crazy pretty girls like yourself."

She rolled over on her stomach and poked him, "Well aren't you the charmer mister. Speaking of government...take a load of that guy."

A scrawny guy in a long sleeved shirt under an unbuttoned plaid shirt, and a small sandy colored afro waved a sign around, shouting through his megaphone around an assembly of other students, "Students of Gotham U! What is Batman doing about Health Care? Hm? Health Care is a huge issue, it's important and needs to be dealt with right away and Batman hasn't done anything to fix this flaw in the government! Nothing effective has been done about it yet and our own Batman can change it. We, as the future leading generation, need to start making our voices heard! Down with the Batman! What has he done except hide his face in the shadows and arrest a few mobsters, probably with some crooked bribe involved? Nothing! Our streets still aren't clean and Gotham's still the worst crime rate and our taxes still aren't being paid."

Scott furrowed his brow, he said out loud tonelessly, "Why should Batman have to do anything about it?"

The guy with the afro echoed back through his megaphone, "Why shouldn't he have to do anything about it?"

Scott explained, "He doesn't have to clean up anyone's mess, he's just one man, he knows he doesn't have to do anything, but he does it anyway and that's what makes him a hero the public should be grateful for. He's far more effective than any legal system."

A few people in the crowd applauded and cheered. Emma murmured, "Don't bother debating with this liberal arts stereo type, he's just saying nonsense, a bunch of hot air."

Some students riled up as the guy shouted something profane about the economy through his megaphone and how Batman was responsible.

Harley piped up, "Batman's a hero alright, but if he were really all about justice he'd be in jail too! Instead, he's just a big bully who puts other misunderstood people in jail! He's wanted by law as much as the next outlaw, but the police turn their heads the other way anytime he comes around with a gaggle of mobstas."

Scott asked more in surprise rather than shock, for he was new and did not know much about Batman yet other than that the city adorned or spited him as a controversial figure. "Harley, I didn't know you felt that way about Batman. You want him in jail?"

It seemed that most of the students supported Batman. She spitefully reproached, "I'm just sayin', if ya says ya on the side of justice, then ya live and breathe it, which means abiding by them so-called laws we gots heah. He represents an iconic hero to us, but he ain't puttin' up the best show, bending all these rules to do his crime-fightin'. It just goes to show that it's impossible to stick to all the rules, not break any, and good ole normal people shouldn't have to be punished for breakin' em when it's just natural to do so! Even someone's good as Bat Boy has to break them rules he arrests people for breakin'!"

Emma's face was gleeful, this girl just dug herself a one way ticket down to breakupville from Scott Summers.

Dick gaped, his eyebrows shot towards the sky, in astonishment and plain puzzlement over Harley's seemingly odd and childish point of view.

He stuttered out almost hysterically, "Well that's what cops are! A defender of justice that represents working under all the rules! That's what the police does, but look where it's gotten them, I tell you not one cop follows the rules, they're probably the worst perps of all."

"No, she's right. She's reflecting the general consensus and public opinion. When society's not thinking as their individual selves, and applying that to an icon like Batman, then they're gonna expect a certain public image and perfection from him, as a super hero. One slip or error, something that wouldn't even be noticeable if an individual of the general public did it everyday, from Batman, is a fissure to that public identity. We want to believe there is someone out there better than all of us combined, that will take care of us and do things we would never dare, and if he's not perfect, we isolate and hate him, because if he can't carry humanity on his shoulders without cracking under the pressure, then he can stand as society's punching bag to take the blame and make us feel a little better about ourselves and the state of our crime rates or whatever else is failing us. If he is better than what we see in ourselves, then we hate him just the more and look for reasons to humanize and degrade him. What Harley's saying is just the initial collective opinion and reaction. This is the truth about how things work. So he should be in prison according to the justice system, but the fact that he brings more justice than any harmless law abiding citizen justifies his actions. The people pointing fingers, and the cops representing the justice system can all be hypocrites while someone who publicly breaks the rules for the greater good but doesn't try to pretend otherwise is not a hypocrite."

Emma arched an eyebrow at him, smiling slightly, bemused and subtly impressed.

She commented, "I'd say that almost sounds like you're coming from personal experience...you relate."

Scott glared at Emma through his sunglasses, knowing where she was going with that, "I don't personally relate all that much, I don't see how one person can with another without being them, I'm just considering perspectives. I don't agree with her all the way but Harley's opinion is accurate in depicting what the public thinks like without knowing it. I've never worn a cape before though, _Emma."_

Exasperated and relieved, Harley hugged Scott's face, she fondly remarked, "Finally someone who understands! I'm just thinkin' bout all them lonely prisoners he brought to Gordon, the pub-lick sympathizes a lot more for 'em than for heroes like Batman than we thinks, has to do with cattle herdin' or somethin' like that, Prof. Crane says. In principle, we say we don'ts thinks like that, but just look at pub-lick opin-yun."

Wrinkling her nose, Emma said, "Professor Crane's a creep. There's a man who doesn't think like the crowd, or the dark knight."

Harley chuckled, "We can share that dthwuh-aughd [thought] in common."

Scott said, "I had that guy for a week before I switched out, he totally gets off on fear."

Emma nodded, nose still wrinkled.

An auburn haired girl waved across the quad at Dick and came towards them, book bag on her shoulder.

Dick got up and declared, "Hey Barbara! Everyone, this is Barbara Gordon, daughter of the famous Commissioner Gordan, Gotham's best police chief. He works with Batman, isn't that neat?"

Harley asked her eyes rounded, "What year are you? Your daddy doesn't worry that you're attending heah out in the open? He's sho-ah to have made a lotta enemies in Gotham!"

Dick rubbed the back of his head and laughed, "You're surrounded by friends, Babs, I'd defend you."

Harley rolled her eyes and input exaggeratedly, "That's shore to make Commissioner Gordan sleep easy." Scott laughed out startled, and furrowed his brows at her chastising quickly, "Harley!"

"It's nice to meet you Barbara! I'm Scott, Dick's roommate." Scott grinned at her, putting a hand on Harley's back. Without too much concern, Emma made some audible greeting noises.

Barbara smiled helplessly and good-naturedly, "Nice to meet you all, I'm a first year like Dick. My dad feels safer being close to me so he can watch over me I guess. I ought to tell you a police commissioner father is not so supportive of liberating through the university years. I'm on a tighter leash than you can imagine, I'm just stopping now but I'm on my way to the library to study more in a few to keep him less worried."

Emma snickered, "On a Friday afternoon? Oh no. Don't. How shocking."

Scott stared in bewilderment at her, what was wrong with all the girls at Gotham U today?

Harley played with Scott's fingers and idly asked, "Any luck on getting Mr. Freeze back at Arkham Asylum?

* * *

Typical of Friday nights, the dorms were filled with weekend starting activities. Scott sat back in his chair at his desk, drawing out a map of Gotham City, he had a hobby of cartography, the course only he had volunteered to take at Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters.

He could hear the thumping music outside of his room, and kids walking by and playing loud games in the rooms.

Dick was out somewhere, again, Scott guessed he was with Selina just across the hall.

Hearing a noise outside his door, Scott stood up carefully and opened it.

Emma was draped across the door frame, wearing nothing but lacy lavender underwear with a matching bra. She had a bottle of tequila in one hand, open and a curtain of hair over an eye.

Shouting, Scott pulled her in his room shutting the door, "What are you doing! Get out of the open!"

She felt his hard pecs through his sweater and said, "Harley Quin is crazy and you know it, you're in denial. You heard how ignorant she sounded today."

Scott pushed her from himself and said, "I didn't agree with her, but I don't have to, I can form my own opinions for myself, thank you Emma. She's not crazy, just misunderstood like a lot of us, and she's really smart, she's not as ditzy or girly as she can sound. I try to be open about everyone's opinions. I like her."

She coaxed, "If you think the ideal is that true heroes should even live their private lives with such discretion, you're just as mislead as that poor girl. You said it yourself, it's not possible to live every little thing up to standard."

He retorted, "That's not what I meant, I said that's just a commonly expressed view."

"I quit drinking, thanks to you." She drawled abruptly. Scott frowned, "Aren't you drunk now? What did I have to do with anything?"

Emma set her bottle down and cornered him against the wall, she announced, "I mean the bad kind of drinking, like I stopped drinking every day with breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's 9 PM now on a weekend night, I can be slightly tipsy, which is what I am. You-you and your satanically puritan ways and little goody boy scout thing...-I quit cocaine also! I noticed when I was on things I said abhorrent things to you, and hated myself after. You are the devil, sir. Don't you try to hide it under that angelic face."

She pushed his nose with a finger. "Dick's not so innocent either, Selina told me he has never spent the night or been in our dorm, and wasn't in there that night of their first date. He's got skeletons in his closet, maybe even homosexual skeletons."

Scott chuckled and smacked his forehead, "Dick's not gay, I don't think he is. Emma, can I get you some clothes? Good job on quitting, I'm actually glad."

Shoving light blonde hair out of her face, she blew, "Might as well, this is going nowhere near my parts-."

"Jeeze, Emma!" He thundered before throwing his over sized sweater and flannel pants on her.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: TheWritingGirl23: Thanks for dropping me another nice review! emma is suffering a little in my fics these days. we'll leave it at that lol. As for meshing universes, i'm trying to form a way to build up to that, but i have some odd ideas in mind, might give them a try soon. scott's going to have a more central part later, but i'm not even gonna call it central, i think it's evening out a little, and well the marvel side of things just needs a little more time to adjust to gotham's edge.**

* * *

Emma watched disgustedly as Harley ran up to Scott and gave him a big kiss on his cheek, cheerfully saying, "Oh Puddin' don't be mad at me but I gotta do something for Arkham Asylum."

Emma sneered, she despised cutesy girl talk, and thought Scott would have too. She flicked her eyes away as Harley continued to suck Scott's face off.

Dick sympathetically looked at her, also not a fan of his roommate's girlfriend.

"I gotta talk ta Mr. J again, I wasn't s'pposed to be allowed to ever since I got out of the asylum, and they barely let me back on the board with con-stant supavision, but it's for the end of my study and I'm so close to figuring somethin' out! Pwomise you won't be jealous, puddin'? You're my one and only Puddin', ya know." She simpered the last sentence, leaning against her tall boyfriend, tracing small circles with her finger on his chest.

He looked down at her, clutching her wrist and said seriously, "What? How can they even think of letting you near him? He's a manipulative psycho I don't want you to even look at him. Is this that important to you Harley?" She looked down sorrowfully before looking back up with large blue eyes, she nodded, "Yes, my research with Mr. J was very important, it gave me a new interest in psychology that I neva woulda found befoah."

Scott sighed and crumbled, "How could I ever stay mad at you? I can't stop you from doing what's important to you, but...would you mind if I came with you? I don't trust this guy, I don't want you to be hurt again."

She hugged him close, her cheek squished against his chest and squealed out, "Oh Puddin'! I have the bestest boy in all of Gotham, it'd be bettah if you came! I have some ideas of what I can do for ya after."

He chuckled, "We'll see about that."

Dick looked at Emma and put his trigger finger to his head and pantomimed shooting himself.

* * *

Scott stood closely behind Harley, in the shadows, his face grim and his arms folded. In the dim light, he could make out the ghastly, scarred and skull-like grin of Mr. J's face. The rumbling but upbeat voice that came out was enough to induce terror.

Harley's own blond bun faced Scott, as it bobbed up and down, eagerly taking notes as she talked to the Joker. It was dark and dank underground, Scott's heart melted a little when he thought about how much Harley had enjoyed sitting down here in the cold, creepy, and unsanitary cells, enraptured by the magic words this clown was saying.

The dark lidless eyes of the Joker lingered on Scott who stiffened. Mr. J drawled out to Harley loudly, "Harley dear, I'm bored with talking about my little life. Let's talk about someone else's, I wanna talk about fun things, like who that strapping young gentleman behind you is."

Harley's eyes, glassed over, head still spinning and in a daze of getting into all the information Mr. J was telling her. She glanced back at Scott and exclaimed, "Oh yes! I do wanna talk about Scotty's life and find out more. There's so much more I wanna know about him." Her eye gleamed temptingly at him.

She flipped to a blank page to commence interviewing him, but Scott intoned, "Harleen, remember what you came here to do."

He distrustfully eyed the Joker who watched, his face leering against the prison bars. Catching the worried look on Scott's hard face, Harley refocused and said, "Right right."

Their strange dialogue began again, Harley's voice growing higher and higher pitched and her accent thicker.

Finally, Harley stopped and said loudly, "Well I gots all I needs, thanks Mista J!"

He smiled back widely at her, unnaturally largely as if he was grimacing, "Anything for you, Harlequinn."

She ran out of the room, saying she had to sign out with the doctors.

Scott stood where he remained and ignored the maniac's soulless eyes and large beam at him. Joker reached through his bars and retrieved the notepad on the otherside, Scott made to move forward, but stopped himself, avoiding interaction with the mastermind.

Joker hunched over the notepad and flipped cartoonishly through the pages, "Boring, boring, predictable...what have we heere?" Joker looked up at Scott with widened eyes and turning the notepad page so it faced him. Joker pointed at the page, "Scott Summerrrrrrs." He rolled his tongue exaggeratedly, gleefully gesturing at the page that had Scott's name scrawled all over it, and even a small doodle of him and Harley in simple cartoon, kissing.

Scott stepped forward, squinting at the page.

That was what Harley had been scribbling down so attentively.

Giving Scott a comic once over, the whites of his eyes flashing as he looked up and down Scott's frame, he said giddily with no emotion, but with the feigned tone, "So Harlequinn got herself a new little boy toy? A boy toy for the girl toy, oh how much fun we will have! I am fuh-fuh-fuh-RIOUS! I'm mad with jealousy, greeeeeen, I could break these bars down and kill ya." He mockingly pretended to shake the bars violently though his eyes did not show his feelings.

He snarled dangerously, lips peeled back in his perpetual grin, "Let me tell you a story about a guuuuurl, and a boy. A love story. See there was a boy just like you- me! He was a bright and promising and handsome boy with good morals, a strong conscience, a good good little boy. He did everything right, and now he's going along his little life, and then one day he meets a nice sort of girl, a pretty sort of girl. The sort of girlie for him, and he buys her things and gives her money and carves their initials all over the damn city, right? He loves her, she loves him, the world is a happy place, love conquers eeeevviiilll.." He growled evil out, sneering devilishly, casting his face downwards in the shadows.

"He loves her so much he never wants to let her go, and wouldn't you know it, they have a family together. But one day he wakes up and looks in the mirror and sees himself smiling, and he gets kind of angry you see, and he asks the mirror, 'What are you smiling at.' And the mirror says backs to him, 'Why so serious?' And everyday he gets up to shave and the mirror says things to him that he can't ignore. He looks at himself and he wants to stop smiling, but the mirror won't stop, you see, even though the man is dead inside by now and has realized he wasted his life on children instead of living his dreams. So he punches the mirror and it breaks! Glass everywhere, only a few pieces remain on it and so the man takes one of the glass pieces and looks at himself in the broken part of the mirror, and he takes his hand like this, and goes like this, and cuts two lines on both sides of his lips, and he's drawn a frown on his face! A frown! An upside down smile! So now, even when he's smiling, his face will be frowning. His son Billy Boy comes in and asks pitifully, 'Daddy, daddy why the booboo on your face? Why so serious?!"

The Joker licked his chapped lips and continued, "Daddy thunders back, "WHY SO SERIOUS?!" Then he carves a smile onto Billie Boy's face because even though he hates his adult life now, he just wants to make his little boy happy! He just wants to be a father who makes his little boy smile! Unlike how his father was. So now he's put a smile on his baby's face and he's still crying and nothing makes sense anymore because why why do people smile if they are sad inside? What's like the point of human expressions and communication in this damn world anymore?! Why are there no good honest people anymore! Anyway, the man finds his wife, the girl he loved, and she's afraid of him and he doesn't know why, because all he's ever done is LOVE HER! So he wants to show the world how much he loves his girl, and he carves their initials all over her body, all over that aging sagging mom body. Now, the same man, he's in his cell one day, atoning for his crimes, and a pretty young girlie comes and talks to the poor lonely man. He wins her over, easily, when he charms her, 'Wanna hear a joke?' She helped get him free and they ran together, like Bonnie n Clyde, but with a much stupider stupider Bonnie if you can imagine it. Now they're in love, right, he loves her sooooo much." The Joker thumped a hand to his heart and looked up theatrically, as if swooning. "Get this, as they're living the life together, the Batman shows up, and he wins this time and puts me and my girl back in jail. BUT! She gets a Get Out of Jail Free card, for playing the right rules and playing sane Jane, and she vows she'll come back for her puddin'..."

Scott clenched his fist, adrenaline pumping through his young head and body.

A low cackling echoed through the cell, a hollow drip kept the rhythm somewhere in the background, "But get this...The joke's on her. Mister J never needed her, he never needed nobody before! He only needed play things to have FUN. Now, the girlie's come back and she's brought herself a cute little boytoy! A bodyguard! It made Mr. J mad and jealous, it made him curious about a new object, Scott Summers. Is he as special as me? Does he have a chance against the beloved and macho Mr. J for a place in Harlequinn's tortured heart? MOST IMPORTANTLY, why is he with her? What's he gettin' out of it? What normal boy would care for the demented, pathetic and crazy Harley Quinn?Boy, this is going to be easy and let's not forget fun. Why so shady Mr. Shades? When you see in shades of good, why must you obscure your eyes? Peel back your eyelids to see the truth forever, that's what we need to do to sniveling humanity, peel those lids back so it can't close its eyes to the sewage and havoc its regurgitated into the world. We live in end times, but there's still practical jokesters, the true heroes of this shitty world, who try to go out there and just make people laugh and laugh and laugh, I just want everyone to smile with me. Is that so bad to ask?"

The Joker tragically collapsed his shoulders and sobbed loudly, blowing into his fist. Scott still refused to say a word as he stared hard at the clown.

Growling through his throat, Scott quietly said, "Stay away from her."

The Joker snapped up, grabbing onto the bars and sticking his nose through, grinning wildly, "DON'T TEMPT THE CRAZY SANE LITTLE MAN! My school teachers said I was rebellious by nature."

His face unpredictably contorted and he shouted out, "BECAUSE I FOUGHT WHEN THEY WANTED TO GIVE LITTLE MR. J A GOOD BAREBACK PADDLIN'. Or maybe because I killed when they told me not to."

Scott coldly watched as Harley's strange ex-boyfriend eyed him like a shark, he tried to clear his head of any judgement or thoughts, as he would around a telepath, although he knew Joker wasn't a mutant.

His soul was mutated and he was undoubtedly a genius. Their relationship hadn't been physical so much as a sociopath and a cute, impressionable and affectionate young fan girl tagging along. It was strange, but Scott could begin to understand why and how a little as he witnessed the Joker's detached charisma and danger.

The blonde girl appeared and summoned Scott, who walked away without looking back.

As they sat in Scott's bed that night, Harley finishing off her thesis homework, and Scott silently sitting against the wall, the disturbing personality of Mr. J flashed through his guarded mind.

He looked carefully over at Harley, who was busy writing, and tried to imagine her as she had been before the school term.

He wondered what it was, but despite who she was, who he was, and what he had heard and found out, there was something drawing him to her, and he wondered if this was that damn hero and damsel-in-distress reflex in him that Jean was always talking about.

Jean, since he'd been with Harley, Scott had been too busy keeping up with this sometimes fast-talking blonde girl that he had not thought about her as much as he used to.

She had calmed down a little, and the hyper Harley was talking slower again, and more calmly without a noticeable accent. She sounded collected, mature, and feminine, her voice deeper. Throwing her notebook down, she climbed onto Scott as he reclined against his bed.

Playing with his shorter hair, she pouted, "What'sa matta puddin'? You're quiet tonight. Did the asylum scare you?"

He sighed, "Did you call him pudding too?"

"Mr. J? I called him lotsa things, and it took me a while but I finally saw that I musta not meant many of those things, because you're the one and only puddin' for me, puddin'."

Putting his arms behind the weight on his body, he asked, "Oh yeah? I don't know if I can compete with the famous Mr. J though. He's brilliant, batty, but brilliantly psycho."

She laughed, "Are you kiddin' me? You saw him, you know that whatever decisions I made and Mr. J being one of them, I had no idea why I wanted or liked the things I did! He found the part of my brain that goes looney and turned the switch on, but now that I know bettah I can talk to him and see what he's doing behind his confusing words. Besides, you kiss better if that's any reassurance, you actually kiss me back."

She gave him a light kiss to ease his troubled face.

Playfully, she put a finger to his lips and stretched them out and grinned at him, "Your smile's so much cuter too, AND it's naturally big."

"You're too good for him, you know, you're better than him, he's a creep."

Smiling endearingly, Harley laid her head against Scott's collarbone and sighed, "I'm glad you think so puddin', I could lay here all day and be so happy."

He said into her white-blond hair, tied into a low bun, "I lied when I said I wasn't scared of anything."

She looked up and interrogated sassily, "Spit it out, what's my big strong man afraid of?"

Scott choked out, "Clowns."

Her bright blue eyes coyly looked at him and her crimson lips curved. He protested, "Don't laugh, it's not funny."

Nibbling at his ear, she giggled breathlessly, "I ain't laughin', I gotta good poker face. Why, I wonder, is my big hero afraid of a silly thing like clowns? Clowns are harmless and funny. Did I scare you that night in my suit?"

The young man convulsed slightly as he chuckled a little at the tickling sensation at his ear. "Kind of to be honest, but once I peeled all that clown make up and stuff off you, it was like you helped me overcome my fear, and that's the first time I thought a clown was the most adorable, hot thing I'd ever seen. Except I take all that back after seeing Mr. J."

He nipped back at her and she giggled, "Did you have a scary memory as a kid? Tell me aboutchyo childhood. Ya nevah talk about it."

Scott shifted and answered, "Not much to tell, it's all in holes in my head. I was born in Anchorage, Alaska, dad was a pilot, he was flying us on vacation and the plane crashed, my parents saved me and my brother by giving us the parachutes. I survived with a blow to my head, but after that I never made eye contact with anyone again. Was in orphanages for a few years. Had a foster dad who didn't treat me so nice, grew up on the streets practically, wasn't such a good kid until I was 15 and this Professor found me and offered me a permanent home at his Institute for freaks like me."

Harley searched his sunglasses and murmured teasingly, "C'mere...Lemme see those eyes, I know they're under there somewhere. I bet you have gaw-jus eyes, everything aboutchyou is gaw-jus, even your heart."

He looked into hers through his shades and she cooed, "I can barely make them out! They're wonderful, Scott! What a real nice shape, and they crinkle up a little when you smile like that. A kind cutie patootie like you shouldn't have had to have all those scary memories."

He grinned cheekily and tickled her waist, "I'm a big boy, I can handle worse."

She squealed into a fit of giggles and writhed against him, tears watering at her eyes.

Shifting the mood, he asked, "What about you? I want to hear more about you."

She fiddled with her round glasses, "I already toldja, my dad was a scumbag, he practically sold out and bailed on our family, my brother wasn't much better, he took my hard-earned savings and squandered it! I hate 'em so much, I'm just lucky I found a good strong man who'll take care of me better. For a first year you're not so bad, kiddo."

He gave her a punishing tweak on her cheek.

The door burst open and noise of people loitering in the halls droned in, Dick held his hand up to the side of his face and peeked over, "Good, you still have your clothes on."

Scott rolled his eyes and Harley put a finger to her lips, grinning with a lightbulb over her head.

Someone threw a roll of toilet paper into the room at Dick, yelling, "Clean up the communal bathrooms after you use 'em Grayson! You have mud baths in there every night? Why do you track so much dirt and blood?! He's like a messy chick on the rag guys."

Laughter burst outside the room and Dick threw the toilet paper back out, laughing, "Shut up guys! It's from lacrosse."

A girl with dark hair walked in, slinking towards Dick in a baggy sweater with a paw print design. She looked over at Scott's bed and sneered, "Oh, hi, Harleen."

Harley wiggled her fingers pleasantly before laying back down on top of Scott.

She spoke to Dick, "You haven't called me, you egghead."

Dick's face colored and he spluttered out, "I-I meant to, gosh, I'm sorry Selina! I've been so busy, no really! I've been all over the place, and I haven't even had time to be in my room, ask Scott, Scotty you'll vouch for me won't ya?"

Scott shrugged, and held his fingers up, "Scout's honor, he's never in here, I'm pretty sure he doesn't sleep, always in the books, this guy. More than me, which I thought was impossible."

Dick, sweating now, begged, "Give me another chance to make it up to you won't you Selina? I'll do anything. Anything! I've been looking forward to finally getting you on a date and I still can't believe my luck!"

Selina curled her nails towards herself and scrunched her lips up, pondering, and then she cattily remarked, "Noooo, it's alright, just thought you might not know what you were missing, too late." He pleaded, "I'll do anything!"

She smiled deviously, "Tonight, be at my room at 10 if you want another date."

He grinned, "I'll be there or be square!"

Selina laughed sympathetically, "Dick...you're already a square."

* * *

A thin coat of ice chilled the inside of a cell in the depths of Arkham Asylum, a low voice snarled out, "What are you doin' back down here Blue Man?"

A pair of metal boots crunched on the ground of ice and a pale blue tinted man in a glass helmet and metal armor hollowly said, "What can you give me, if I were to break you out?"

The Joker revealed his twisted face and laughed like a hyena, "Not now, Freeze Pop, I'm a bit comfortable at the moment. Though it does seem that someone's turned the thermostat down." Turning his neck over his shoulder, he bellowed behind himself at an imaginary person, "TURN UP THE HEAT NANCY!"

Aiming an ice canon at the cell, Mr. Freeze stated, "I didn't say you had a choice."

Looking up at the black ceiling, Joker sighed grouchily, "Ratman, I'm glad to see you for once. Take care of this nuisance will ya? Mister J is a good citizen today, he's locked up right where he belongs, and society is safe...but not from itself! Hee hee!"

A dark object came hurtling down at top speed, kicking Mr. Freeze down. His head landed near the cell.

Joker stared at Mr. Freeze, considering him for a second before pulling a shot gun out of his pocket and cocking it at him. "You're just a second-rate Captain Cold." He pulled the trigger and shattered the glass of Mr. Freeze's helmet, so he could no longer breathe.

Looking up like a startled child who was caught with a hand in the cookie jar, Joker rounded his eyes and said docilely, "Oopsie, not supposed to have this huh?" He dropped the large gun outside of his cell and Batman picked it up, then walked around with his flashlight. Another dark shape swooped down with a black uniform and blue bird symbol.

Night Wing hurriedly told Batman, "Let's get this thing solved, I've got a date tonight."

Batman smirked, "We'll do our best."

* * *

In the science lab of Gotham U, Barbara Gordon peered through a microscope at the chemical elements and cells of an acid-corroded lock.

Removing it, she replaced it with a glass side with a label: Daggett Sample.

Adjusting the dials, she whispered, "Bingo. We found our match!"

She took her eye away from the microscope

"There's no way Catwoman was behind this! She would never work for Daggett, he gave her that Cat Scratch Fever shot... I owe her an apology, or at least on the behalf of that dick, Robin."

* * *

Selina Kyle tapped away on her laptop on her bed in her dorm, glaring occasionally at her narcissistic, city bitch roommate, Emma Frost, who was intently doing assignments at her desk.

Emma had recently called Selina a hoarder, due to the atrocious clutter on Selina's side of the room. Pizza boxes, wine glasses, bras, clothes, crumpled pieces of paper, and cats everywhere.

The air was thick betwixt the two, due to the hoarding incident and also since Selina had mentioned snidely that she had seen Harleen Quinn on Scott Summers in his room. Her senses were keen and sharp like a cat's, and she picked up on Emma's vibes and the fury she gave off around the boy across the hall who was a delicious morsel if not shy.

She snickered to her cat Iris who mewed back.

She began looking up information on a priceless jade cat statute that had been taken from the school's famous museum.

They would be valuable and pretty additions for her collection.

The brunette licked her lips.

Who had stolen them before the greatest cat burglar had?

Lazily stretching out, she got up to get ready for her date.

Shedding her baggy sweater, she pulled on a black leather skirt, a purple blouse, and gold hoop earrings.

She dabbed some kohl around her eyes and topped it off with magenta lipstick.

* * *

Panting mingled with the stomping feet on a metal pipeline clanged throughout the dark red night.

Dick sweated profusely, it got hot in superhero costumes. The material was durable and ventilated, but it was skin tight and thick.

He wondered how Bruce felt in that all consuming head mask and heavy cape.

Batman halted and turned, throwing his arm out and bringing his cape up to cover him as bullets from the thugs chasing them bounced off.

He flung the cape out and knocked the gun out of the thug's hand. Turning around, Batman bent forward and used a pipe wrench to lift the thug off the ground, so that they were back to back.

He tightened his grip on the steel pipe, feeling the consciousness leave the thug's body. After a calculated amount of seconds, he dumped the body off his back.

Shooting his zipline, he flew up, re angling himself.

Night Wing acrobatically cartwheeled forward, his swinging legs kicking two thugs off the pipeline.

Batman dropped from the sky and landed on a thug sneaking up behind Night Wing, crushing him.

He grunted, "What is Daggett up to?"

The henchmen gasped, "Daggett? I'm with Maroni! We're Maroni's men! You have no jurisdiction over us right now!"

"Why did Mr. Freeze's tracker bring me here? To Dagget Industries?"  
The thug gulped, "I don't know I swear! We're just here because Daggett's people had a proposition for the big guy, we're just here to deliver some cash and see what's up. Just a business transaction."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Before you read be warned there's lots of sexual innuendo in this chapter. I imagine Joker in this to be kind of like a hybrid of the movie and original animated series, so basically what the arkham city one looks like and to kind of sound like how Penguin in The Batman (newer cartoon)/same voice for ice king to sound.**

**TheWritingGirl23: PM'd**

**Delta23: Thank you very much! I appreciate your feedback.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Drinking from her glass of wine, Selina eyed the door of her dorm, stomach down on her bed. She set it down and stood up unsteadily, stretching out as a cat jumped onto her bed.

Emma was sleeping with her white sleeping mask on, covering her eyes.

Uncurling her fingers, Selina began to undress, Dick had really pushed her limit here, but he was not someone to worry about, she could deal with him later, no use staying in on a weekend night for a flaky boy. The night was hers.

She zipped on her cat suit and pulled her head set on, placing the goggles over her cat eyes.

* * *

Two police officers and Dr./Professor Krane from Arkham Asylum faced the bleary brown-haired boy with red sunglasses on and in boxers. The rest of the campus lay under a gray fog as night turned to morning, and kids were finally asleep after staying up all night partying.

One officer said, "Scott Summers? We'd like you to please come with us."

He got into a car that was like a Hearst, and wrapped a blue and green flannel shirt around his bare chest, having stuffed pants on last minute. Gotham's perpetual dark clouds hung over, dully showing the sun beginning to peek over the water.

The car went up a windy road to the gates of Arkham Asylum, Scott panicked, he asked hurriedly, "Why are you taking me here?!"

Dr. Krane said ominously, "Relax, you're not being committed."

As they descended down the dark staircases, echoes of the crazy super criminals beginning to wake up at an off hour, ascended.

It was an ear-screeching sound.

They led him to one cell with a glass wall and he gasped. Harley was sitting in a cot in an inmate uniform and her blond pigtails tied high. At the sight of him she hopped up to her feet and walked over to the wall, she had her signature bounce in her walk, that made her pigtails bounce up and down. They had confiscated her glasses.

They opened the door and shoved him in, "You get an hour or more, we'll be back after we take care of some cases."  
He whirled around as they locked the door and walked away.

Shivering in his unbuttoned flannel shirt, he mumbled, "What's going on?"

Harley hopped onto him, wrapping herself around him, "Puddin' you came! No one woulda came, Mr. J woulda never came!"

He picked her off his body and put her on the bed, "This is because of him isn't it?!"

She pulled him down onto it with her and cried out, "I didn't do it this time, Scott you have to believe me! Nobody else does, because they all think I'm crazy and snapped again, but I didn't! I have you now, and I would never wanna lose you, and now that I've seen what it's like, never for Mr. J ever again. Him using and manipulating me should be no surprise, but this time I didn't take part! Harley Quinn is not too smart, but Harleen Quinnzel is relatively sane!"

Scott looked into her widened eyes and cautiously questioned, "What happened?"

She took a deep gulp and blabbered out, "I came back to my room and there was a wine bottle on my desk with a note on it, just like Mr. J did back when we met. He wrote a note that said to break him out of prison or else someone would kill me. Scott, I've felt the wrath of Mr. J's bare hands himself a lot of times, and I know it hurts, so I quickly got into my costume for one last time, just to finally tell him once and fors all, he can't control me anymore, that I got a new man who treats me real nice that I like. I went down to the asylum and told him off, but he had a trick up his sleeve, he always does. This time it wasn't to fool me into getting back with him though. The guards saw me and caught me, and it just looks crazy."

She threw her arms around him, and he sighed, giving in and putting his arms around her too, obviously she was very shaken.

He touched the exposed skin on her arm, it was freezing in the underground sanitarium, and they gave their inmates short sleeved uniforms.

Taking his flannel shirt off, he put it around her and shivered as the dank air cooled his bare skin.

"What's wrong with them can't they see you're cold down here? They barely treat the inmates like people! You shouldn't be in here Harley." He embraced her, warming her up.

She petted him and said, "Why are you so good to a nutjob like me? Mr. J made me think about that, why a nice guy like you is sticking around me."

Scott sternly said, "Well don't think about anything that comes out of his mouth, that's why you're in here. I guess I'm a nut job too Harley, and you're really not so crazy, just heavily misguided."

Wrapping her arms around his torso and leaning her cheek against his chest, she sighed woefully, "I don't want to go back to all that Scott, the super criminal life is addicting but I know what I want now, and I can't go back. I found me something real good. They're set on sentencing me though, they won't have none of it, won't hear any reason. I really tripped up."

His mind raced, the the wheels beginning to tick, and he blurted out, "I'm going to get you out of here. After they come get me, I'll be back later tonight, and I'll break you out, I promise. Just keep quiet."

Harleen resisted, "But that would be breaking so many laws... Scott you could get in big trouble! Can-can you actually do it? I-I don't want you ta get hurt, baby." She trailed a finger down his jaw.

He grabbed her face and kissed her hard, "I'll prove you were innocent, I have my own tricks up my sleeve. I've been lying low, but you haven't seen what I can do yet, Harley."

Taken by him willing to go against every aspect of his moral self, she overtook him in a make out session finding another way to warm up in the cells and impulsively take that next step in their relationship she had been goading him about.

Gordon, a built older man with a mustache and glasses, wearing a tan trench coat opened up the door, allowing Scott out, a while later than they had promised.

He eyed the young man suspiciously. Harley and Scott's hair and clothes were messed up, and the boy had outrageously come out in just his Gotham U button up soccer pants, and with no shirt, leaving his flannel shirt with Harley, to keep her heated.

He wondered what kind of young bare chested hooligan was going steady with Quinn, the screwy nuisance in love with Joker.

However, it was twilight, and the boy had been ripped from his sleep to come see his girlfriend, so no surprise he was not properly prepared. But Gordon had seen this kind of convincing new life for all the inmates, like Ivy who had moved on with her life at one point and even had a family to match. To criminals, that sort of life was the costumed identity, not their villain selves.

The police commissioner looked in at Harley sitting on the edge of her bed, a happy smile pasted on her face and smelling her boyfriend's flannel, swinging her feet back and forth like a little girl.

He muttered to his junior detective, "She's got some screws loose, do a background on the boyfriend, and let's see that tape of their time together, she's a dummy, she probably told him some important information."

"Aye, aye, sir." Barbara, his daughter mocked him and went to retrieve the surveillance tape, shadowing her father at work for a day. She had come in right after Scott had been escorted out.

She returned to the police station later in her Bat Girl costume after her father closed office, and turned on the surveillance video that would reveal all of Joker's secrets through Harley's motor mouth.

Noticing a familiar face, she commented, "Dick's roommate must be Harley's boyfriend...Really?"

She watched them talk, but did not catch anything important or top secret. Her eyes bugged out when Scott gave his flannel to Harley, sacrificing a shirt for himself, even though she was a super hero detective, she had to observe that Dick's roommate had quite a bod. She was still a freshman girl after all underneath her mask.

Talking turned to something else and Barbara held the remote in her hand stunned, not sure if she should turn it off or fast forward.

A muscled figure silently slid up to her, "Rare footage at Arkham Asylum, looks good, can I join? It can be like a girl's slumber party. Girls gone wild."

"Cat Woman! This is evidence, on Joker and Harley." She threw the remote at the screen, pausing it.

Cat Woman peered into the screen with a mischievous smile, "The evidence has my attention, how does Quinn go from Joker to that delicious cat biscuit? Though, I know plenty of inmates would want a ride on a Harley."

"Robin was wrong to try and catch you the other night, you weren't behind the statutes. I traced the acid at the museum to samples that Dagget's factories use. He wants to repair his image and reputation in the corporate world, and is trying to get money fast to start that campaign."

"You're good, well what are you waiting for?" Cat Woman batted a hand at Bat Girl who confusedly asked, "What do you mean?"

Smirking, Cat Woman said deliciously, "You and I would make a great team, your sleuthing skills with mine, and our ability to get in anywhere? We'd be a deadly combo. Let's go catch this asshole."

Backing away, Bat Girl retorted, "Wait a minute, I'd never work with you, you're not to be trusted."

Yawning, Selina remarked, "Says who? Batman or Night wing? They're not around, and they'd just weigh you down, they're dead weight thick headed boys. I'm not asking you to do anything bad, I'm just saying let's work together to find this guy and return that statute, I want Daggett suffering."

"Alright but no funny business or your tail is in jail!"

* * *

A hot vat of boiling acid sent whirling steam up at Gotham's two heroes.

Batman and Night Wing were chained back to back, upside down over it.

"How did we end up here?"

Batman replied to Night wing's sarcastic question, "We'll get out of this. Still some time."

The boy wonder wriggled, "Hanging by a thread. I'm not gonna make my date tonight after all..."

As they spoke, two shadows appeared in the back, on the railings around them, taking each security guard out with finesse, and deadly silence.

Bat Girl grabbed the chain lowering the two men and hooked it to a lever.

It stopped and Cat Woman pulled them back.

After dropping their chains, Batman and Night Wing stood up and thanked Bat Girl, questionably noting Cat Woman.

They cornered Daggett and Barbara took the box of jade statutes from him, she checked them and promised, "We're taking you right back to where you belong, safely."

Landing on Barbara's shoulders, balanced on all fours nimbly, Catwoman snatched the box out of her hands with her swiping claws and then leaped up whipping Daggett towards her and hooking the chain on his pants. She laughed, "Good work detectives, lead me straight to my jade babies!"

She pushed him over the vat of hot acid, dangling him by a chain and then hopped out of the factory's opening, treasures in claws.

A batarang flew past her, nipping a cat ear on her head, but she lithely escaped, using her whip.

Bat Girl, Bat Man, and Night Wing scrambled to pull the chain dangling Daggett, and back to safety.

When Bat Man later handed Daggett over to Commissioner Gordon, he said to Gordon, "Bat Girl and Cat Woman saved us, pulled us out of our rut, they were working together."

Gordon looked perplexed, "What a strange partnership... So of course Cat Woman double crossed everyone right?"

Bat Man looked out at the black city skyline against red sky and answered in his gravelly voice, "She's a lone creature, that's just how she plays."

* * *

Breaking into a prison asylum would be tough, and it would be hard to go undetected with its security. Fortunately for Harley, Scott was a brilliant tactician, mathematician and had the hobby of cartography under his experienced young belt. He had been the only one to take the map making class for extra credit at Xavier's.

Just by looking around from his few visits to Arkham Asylum, his logical and mutant enhanced brain had seen through his ruby quartz glasses, and printed a linear memory of what he had seen and combined with his logical precision, he was able to predict and lay out a basic map of Arkham Asylum in his head with instinctive calculations he drew with everything he saw.

The entire day he had drawn plans and ways to get in and out with the least destruction, he was not going to use his powers in this city if he could help it, and a black ops sort of drop down mission for him was possible to perform without powers.

As darkness ate the city, Scott rode his bicycle to Arkham City, a stranger and darker place than Gotham, with run down streets for criminals and patients.

He had put a hood up, avoiding the menacing stares the thugs around town gave him as he wheeled up to the Asylum.

Scott did wear his black short-sleeved uniform, and a large black jacket with a hood over it and his steel visor for precaution.

Climbing quickly onto the tall roof, he dropped down on a hatch door that had been sealed, by kicking it through.

Lowering his body through, he clipped a rope to the ceiling and dropped down.

He turned on a soft light in his hand and quietly crept along the walls, then finding the vent he was looking for, where he logically predicted it would be with the building's basic layout, he precisely removed it and crawled through, the light clenched between his teeth.

Having lines and mazes clicking in his focused head, he maneuvered each turn with such precision that he ended up exactly where he wanted to out of the many cells of Arkham.

Twisting the dial on his visor so it was refined to a needle point beam, he shot a short optic blast at the vent beneath him and quickly uncurled his body from the vent down to Harley's cell.

She was laying in her cot blowing bubble gum bubbles.

Scott shone the light on her and she squealed, flinging her arms up around him.

He looked at her hair, her white blonde pig tails had a pinkish red tint on the tips. "What did you do to your hair?" Harley twirled the tips in a finger and giggled, "Ivy did it with some flower juice, d'ya like it? I'll cut the tips off if you don't."

Scott asked, "How? They let inmates be together? That's dangerous!"

Harley popped a bubble in her mouth and said, "She's got her ways of visiting me, the chemical dye's not permanent though, I was just bored waitin' for you. She said she wanted to meetcha."

"Absolutely not."

"That's what I said! Let's go Scott, I'm getting crazier and crazier here."  
Putting his arm around her slim waist, Scott pointed a customized harpoon gun strapped to his wrist at the vent and recoiled them back up.

As he pushed Harley up, and lifted his legs, he felt something grab onto his ankle.

A giant grin peered up eerily at him, as the Joker pulled, shadows carved at his sinister face, "Ah ah ah! Not without me you're not leaving here. My puppet Harley has done things right for once! The boy toy comes in handy in many ways not just for one." He winked with a sinister malice.

Scott kicked the Joker's face hard, so he staggered back against the glass prison wall, and quickly pulled his feet through and sealed the vent.

Army crawling speedily, he lead Harley to the exit, tying her to the rope and climbing up towards the rooftop.

A loud eerie voice echoed around the entire asylum as if in Scott's head, "Doesn't it hurt? Being used, being tricked. You'd do anything for love, young novice, valiant young novice. A pretty girl can make you think a little crazy, make you do things you wouldn't have done."

Harley cried out, "Scott, don't listen to the voice! He's just trying to get in your head! He's fascinated by yours and how impenetrable it is!"

Lightening flashed outside, and rain came down heavily in a storm.

Scott's face remained stoic and he heaved up, kicking the hatch door back open and pulling Harley through. With his arms binding her, he asked a final time, "Are you back stabbing me? Was this all a lie?" The rain came down in rapid fire fat droplets, soaking them.

She shrieked, "You should know me better than that by now! I would never back stab you! How can you ask me that after last night?! That wasn't nothing!"

A helicopter spot light blinded them as it hovered over them in the thick rain. A voice droned out, "You have the right to remain silent, you are under arrest for the escape of an inmate."

Scott cursed and Harley exclaimed, "That bastard Mr. J tipped off the police!"

Pulling Harley with him, Scott flipped over the rooftop, blending into the darkness and slipped down the wall, and then ran to safety.

A lasso wrapped around Harley's wrist, winding her back to Bat Girl who shouted, "Stop right there! That's a fugitive right there- or two."

Scott grabbed onto the lasso and yanked, twirling Bat Girl off her feet towards him so she was wrapped in her own lasso.

He pulled her gently down to the ground and then bolted, towards his bike with Harley.

* * *

In the Bat Cave, the lair of hi tech gear and gadgets, Bruce Wayne stood before his giant computer screen, analying Mr. Freeze's files, looking for clues to pinpoint his exact involvement with Daggett.

Daggett had only confessed the obvious, that he stole from the museum to sell and profit from the black market in order to gain funds to build his reputation and industry back up, all under the table. What made him want to help break out Mr. Freeze and work with him, then ask something of Joker though?

Bat Girl's voice came through on his walkie talkie, "I just saw Quinn get away from Arkham Asylum, she had help, I couldn't see very well but I'm assuming, he, subdued me. Could have been the joker, tall frame, but not quite...I'm not sure, but things are getting weird. He was...really gentle with me, but still got away."

Bruce replied, "I'll send Night Wing over to investigate and help."

He heard a groan come from her and suppressed a smile.

* * *

Iris and Puss weren't getting along today, as they fought each other, baring fangs and claws on Selina's bed.

Selina smiled and threw in a piece of yarn to work them up in a frenzy.

Her roommate swished into the room with the boy across the hall behind her, with his red sunglasses and collared shirt tucked in.

Selina smiled at him, lifting a brow and purred, "Hi Scott." She thought about the "evidence" that pervy little Bat Girl had been watching starring Scott. One of her other cats, jumped into the fight, making it a threesome quarrel. She wondered how Emma would react if she saw it.

Scott seemed confused and replied, "Hello. Did Dick stay true to his word?"

Snarling, she whined, "It doesn't matter anymore, he's lost his chance. He's a little too square for a grown girl like me."

She watched Scott take his book bag off his shoulder, enjoying that she was scaring him a little.

The two friends spoke conversationally, but unbeknownst to Selina, a telepathic conversation was going way differently between them.

_'What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to get arrested or killed? I couldn't help but notice your thoughts... Where is she? All this for her?'_

_'I was hoping you could help me, you are in favor of dodging the law aren't you?'_

_Emma thought bitterly, 'Well that's a bit stupid of an assumption, that just because I went against the law, I'd still be willing to help you. You've lost your mind.'_

_'I have reason to believe she's telling the truth, she was set up for this, it wasn't her fault this time.'_

_'What's in it for me?'_

_Growing aggravated, Scott thought, 'Please. I've saved your life countless times even when you tried to kill us and take Kitty, I beat the asshole that beat you for years, and that's what put you in position of White Queen, which you then took as the opportunity to attack us stronger, causing me lots of trouble and grief and lack of sleep, did you know I almost didn't get into Gotham U because of you and your evil distractions?'_

_Emma curled her fingers towards her self and puckered, "If you assume I still think in the bad ways I did, then I would naturally expect something out of this, I wouldn't do it for the goodness of my heart."_

_'What would you want?'_

_"A brooding and sensitive type with a divine butt.'_

_'Don't...'_

_'OK how about this, I'll think of a new favor for later.'_

_'I suppose I have no choice...I really thought I'd be leaving this business behind in college.'_

_'You seem to have a knack for attracting girls that'll get you in trouble. What makes you think she's different now? You understand you broke into a high security asylum for super criminals and broke out a prisoner, I don't know whether I'm more surprised that you did it or that you are capable of doing it.'_

Out loud, Scott said, "I'm doing what I have to do."

Emma drawled at him skeptically, "Why? What makes you have to do this?" She scoffed, "Scott, that is such an asinine male thing to say."'

His jaw closed, he stood up, flexing his book bag up stiffly and said, "Never mind, I'll see you later Emma."

She coaxed, "Aw, did I offend the boy scout?"

He left, storming straight across the hall to his room.

Selina filed away at her nails, legs criss crossed in the air as she lay on the floor on her stomach, "Trouble in paradise?" She asked coyly in her oddly sultry voice.

Emma sighed drearily, "What is it that can be so damn attractive about virtues and morals?"  
Pursing her lips, Selina added, "The perfect ass that comes with it?"

Shooting her roommate a look, Emma dismissed, "Blast this, I need a drink- or dozen."

She grabbed her purse to go. Selina called out, "I'll go with you, a cold martini would be perfect right now."

It was 9:00 in the morning.

Condescendingly, Emma gave Selina's baggy sweat pants and turtle neck a once over, and then rolled her eyes and shrugged, allowing her to come along.

* * *

Fuming, Scott slammed his door furiously, Emma was impossible, with her games and twists in her words.

The scary part was, she was starting to make more sense than he did to himself now that he mulled things over. When Emma Frost started to make sense, then Scott knew he was in trouble.

Dick's friend, the cop's daughter was waiting in their room, sitting on Dick's bed.

Seeing him, Barbara reddened, recalling the incriminating surveillance video she had seen, fresh on her mind.

Barbara said in a friendly tone, "Oh hi, Scott right? Dick's coming back from class with a book he borrowed."

Alarmed, he stuttered, "R-right..."

She looked and dressed like a normal average girl with nothing too special or glamorous, but up close she was naturally pretty. Scott knew he liked her right away, she sounded intelligent and friendly.

"You're doing that mouse experiment for the science fair aren't you? I saw your table when we were setting up for the fair." He said.

"Yep, my dad is up my butt about extra curricular activities. If I won a science fair he'd shut up. You're working with...Harley aren't you? Or were?"

Not showing a sign of suspicion, Scott said, "Yeah. I guess we have some stiff competition. Are any mice harmed in the actual events of the experiment?"

She grinned, he was charming too?

"The mice are fine and well fed with a high calcium diet of cheese. I'm not electrocuting them or anything, they just go through a maze and I briefly add factors to induce short term fear between the start and end, and the results will prove my hypothesis on fear as an immobilizing agent in the human response."

Scott remarked, "You must have Dr. Crane for a class." Barbara blushed, "Yes, and he's one of the judges on the panel so I figure why not use a subject he enjoys teaching so much."

He commented, "His fascination with fear seems to influence a lot of people around here."

She admitted, "He does get kind of creepy crawly during class when he gets into his lectures."

"The wonder gang! Scott, what's up?" Dick strolled in, and handed a book to Barbara, "Babs, wouldja help me out with chemistry? 101? I got lots of it with this girl, but I ran into some problems and now she won't talk to me, help your friend out with girls?"

"As if, what problems?"

He answered, "Okay, I stood her up twice."

Gasping, Barbara hit him with her book, "Then she should never talk to you again you cretin!"  
Dick cowered and laughed, "Oh come on, it's me! You know I wouldn't do that unless I really ran into some problems. I just need to convince her to give me a third chance."

She flicked his nose, "Maybe you're not ready for girls yet, Dick. Learn some manners first!"

After Barbara left, Dick asked Scott casually, "So, uh, what were you and uh, Babs doing? Or, talking about when I came back?"  
Scott thought a moment, "Um, fear, I guess." Dick nodded grimly, "Seems to be the theme this term... Barbara's that girl I'll always be friends with, and have the hots for, but never have the chance to tell that to. She's almost like what Jean is to you, to me, except of course way different too."

"You're still going to try to win Selina over?" Scott puzzled aloud. Dick shrugged, "I really do like her, I just never have time, and this time I didn't mean to fluke, it was an accident, she won't forgive me now."

"Why did you stand her up a second time? What's on your schedule besides the library and gymnastics?" Inquired Scott.

"I uh, got chained up with traffic in Gotham and I was late. Hey, Babs told me Quinn went bonkers again and is back at the crazy farm for good, you okay...bro? She did get away...Do you have any idea where she went?"

The mutant masked his face and rolled up a movie poster he was putting away to replace with a new Gotham U flag. "I haven't heard from her, but I expect she'll show up soon. She's not a bad girl, just acts stupider than she really is, she finds it entertaining in her own way."

Tapping his nose, Dick said, "Ahh, that's what it is."

His wrist watch began beeping, so Dick excused himself and went into the bathroom, Bruce's face showing up in a video call. "How are you doing on that case with Harley and Bat Girl? You didn't report back immediately..." Dick mumbled, "I was kind of distracted. I asked her boyfriend about it, but he doesn't seem to know what she or Joker's up to, and I don't expect him to. I'm meeting Bat Girl tonight to do a search for Harley. If Joker's still playing dumb in jail, then where is she and who helped her out?"

Batman replied, "I still wouldn't rule out Joker, you know he likes to go in and out of places for fun. That's the most viable and logical answer."

Dick sighed, "Right..."

"Freeze made it, and he's hospitalized at Arkham Asylum again, they're keeping him in a locked up freezer. I interrogated him."

_Swooping down from the pipes, Batman landed on his feet behind Mr. Freeze who was lying on a frozen bed. "Back to see me so soon, Bruce?", came the German scientist's cold and dry voice. He was hooked up to many chilled tubes that pumped glowing blue liquid into him._

_Batman answered solemnly, "We used to be friends, Fries, I would want to see that you are well."_

_The bald, pale man, wrinkled his brows and then said lifelessly, "Joker is not someone to deal cards with. I suppose you want answers."_

_Batman nodded silently. In the light, past the frost bitten blue skin and eerie alien quality, Mr. Freeze's face showed traces of the Aryan scientist he had been._

_With no attachment, Mr. Freeze stated in his light and sophisticated German accent, "I will tell you, because it will not matter what you know or do to prevent, none will be able to stop me this time. Daggett made a deal with me, a very reasonable bargain. He would grant me freedom, monetary compensation, and more money when I used my connections to the Russian mafia downtown to strike a deal with Dagget Industries secretly. Once the alliance was formed, they provided their best underground researchers to develop a super weapon to destroy on a global scale. With that deal struck, the funding for my own research for Nora will be flowing. Daggett may be in jail, but I won't be much sooner. Just try and stop me, Bruce. I have people, I will be impossible for a man in a suit like you to stop. With my new machinery, I will freeze all of the water on this Earth. It doesn't matter if I'm in here, the remote is set to go off any minute. World Wide Ice age and stoppage of a natural resource. Would you like to know something funnier? Dagget double crossed Maroni with the Russian mob, just because he could, all of Maroni's money is ours now, and Catwoman took the treasures."_

_Batman snarled, "So what will that do? You'll have your own ice kingdom that you can play pretend in with your Popsicle wife? Are you so removed from humanity that you cannot even see the flaw of your plan?"_

_Mr. Freeze said ominously, "When I get out again, I will find you this time, Bruce, and stop you. Humanity has rejected me since my accident and transformation, rejected my form, if I make the Earth my suitable environment, then it will be my world."_

_By the time he finished his sentence, Batman had disappeared._

Dick wondered, "Are we going to have to take down the whole Russian mob tonight and then some?"

Bruce's voice came through the watch, "No, remember you are working with Bat Girl to track down Harley and bring her back to the asylum."

"We don't even hafta do that! Harley's nothing! She's off her rocker but she's just an annoyance. You might need some extra help."

"I prefer to do this one solo, I can handle it on my own Dick. You are Night Wing now, it's time you earn your wings."

* * *

Bicycling to where he had left Harley, Scott pulled up to a run down indoor stadium with a stage platform and giant grinning caricature Harlequinn head hanging above ripped velvet curtains.

It was trashed and gritty, certainly the trappings of psychopaths.

Harley had reminisced that it had been her and Joker's love nest, as in the head quarters for all their scheming and insanity.

He pulled his hoodie around himself at the clown memorabilia and yelled out in fright when Harley Quinn in costume came out, the bells on the tips of her head piece jiggling.

Harley cart wheeled forward free spiritedly and giggled, "It's me Scott! I had to change into somethin' more comfortable, you didn' want me to stay in that inmate outfit, didja?

She held up a flyer for a party on the Gotham campus for a casino night, a gambling party being hosted by a fraternity.

It was themed so that students had to wear costumes appropriate to a deck of cards or royal court, as in dressing up (or down in the case of college parties) as the Queen of Hearts, Joker, King of Spades, or any other card in the deck or anything to do with cards.

Scott had heard about it, it was supposed to be a big event, like a Black Jack Masquerade.

Rummaging through a chest, Harley muttered, "Let's see, what have I got here? I can't go dressed up in my old costume."

She tore her uniform off much to Scott's embarrassment at seeing her in her underwear and she smirked, "It ain't like you haven' seen this before now."

She quickly changed into tight leather black and red leggings, boots, a black and red harlequin corset, and smeared black eye make up all around her eyes in a make shift mask. She strutted up to Scott and pouted, "See? I'll fit right in the party, nobody will recognize me like this!"

Two fly away bangs sprouted from her pigtails to the sides of her face.

To Scott, she looked extremely scary, but at the same time he thought she looked nice... Well maybe nice was too nice a word to describe what she looked like, but he was a nice boy and did not go there.

Throwing clothes at Scott, she ordered, "Now we got to be matching! There will be lotsa couples doing King and Queen, we should be original..."

She threw him Joker face paint as he stripped down to some court jester leggings with mismatching colors, one leg red, and one leg green.

Scott threw down the face paint and said, "No way, I could never be Joker."

More willingly however, he put on the joker's hat, the spiky felt hat with the bells jingling on each tip, with his hair sticking out underneath.

They filed in with a bunch of students coming in to the campus party, dressed up outrageously in varieties of scandalous costume. Guys with painted red or black K's or J's or A's or numbers on their chests and crowns on their heads whooped around. Gotham kids liked to go for spooky and scandalous.

Girls in deliberately slutty outfits with a scarlet or black letter or numbers pinned to them passed by, wearing masks and crowns or even harlequin costumes or female jokers waving their scepters around. Some even carried spades like the actual shovels, with them. There were kids dressed up as Jacks, Kings, Queens, anything that had to do with gambling and card decks.

It seemed that Joker's face was a trend in costumes, and many people had white face paint and the black eyes and grin imitating the super criminal.

The latest music pumped through out the fraternity house, and masked or face painted young students clustered about or danced.

"Are we any closer to proving I'm okay?" Harley asked Scott as they settled on a ragged sofa together, next to some people playing cards. There were card games going on all around, and even actual gambling tables set up.

Scott pulled Harley up to a dance, circling the room and looking left and right, the strobe lights flashed and lit up faces of the Joker everywhere Scott looked. It was setting him off.

She circled her arms around his neck and leaned against him ardently as they swayed in step to the warped medieval music that had been synchronized with modern beats. He reassured, "I think so, I tried asking Emma for help, but she's not up to it, but that's okay I'm going to get you out of this, I have one more up my sleeve. Your name will be cleared by tonight. I promise. I already took care of the investigators from the hospital looking for you. They didn't seem too worried."

She kissed him adoringly, jingling his bells.

Then she confided, "I know Mr. J and I know he's never safe, even when he's locked up or pretendin' to be, he's gonna do something, I just know how he works, I want you to be careful around him Scott. I know what he's like, and if he hasn't killed you he's got worse things planned."

From upstairs, a floor above them, a person in white and a white masquerade mask looked down at them, a voice purred next to her, "Enjoying the view?" Selina wore a red queen of hearts outfit she had put together, while Emma was typically the White Queen of Diamonds.

Responding, Emma muttered, "Other than that slutty clown on him, yes thank you very much."

Purring, Selina smirked, "He should not wear shirts, more often. The joker's hat isn't bad either, kinda cute."

Emma besmirched her, looking at her, "Don't get ideas."

Narrowing her eyes, the brunette girl smiled and gushed in confidential tones, "Don't you...He's with Harley evidently."

Leaning over the railing, Emma dangled a cup in her hand and watched Scott and Harley dancing around in their costumes. "What makes you say that?" Emma asked boredly.

Slyly glancing at her roommate, Selina slipped her phone out of her thigh high boot and showed her an incriminating video. Emma's blunt manners had rubbed this temperamental cat the wrong way. As Emma watched the video with horror, fascination, and utter despair, Selina said, "I don't get why a cold diva like you is getting so bent over a boy like him. You two are opposites."

Emma murmured behind some fallen hair, "Not as much as it might seem."

Some boys in full black one-piece spandex joker jumpers complete with a white and black spiky joker crowns with and pointy boots and black eye masks came rushing into the main dancing area with a beer funnel asking for challengers.

Scott and Harley went outside together on the balcony.

"I'm going to get a confession from Joker. Can you help me with him? You know his tricks." Scott said to her.

Harley laughed, "Hah! Fat chance Mr. J would evah confess anything reasonable. I'll try though, if that's the only way."

A shadow loomed over them before drop kicking Scott away from Harley who screamed and clapped her hands over her mouth.

Scott instantly sprang up as an armored fist came colliding down, he blocked it and threw a right hook at his attacker's stomach, causing them to fly back.

Harley shouted, "B-Man! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Night Wing grabbed her and growled, "You're coming with me. I'm not Batman, I'm Night Wing!"

Another form dropped down next to Scott, "Hey there, handsome, why don't you just come with us?"

Bat Girl circled him with her lasso. Scott swiftly stuck behind her and pinned her arms to her side, so she could not move.

It did not hurt her but he was strong and his iron grip was immovable.

Night Wing handcuffed Harley to him so she could not get away and ran at Scott, throwing a batarang at him. With his honed and agile reflexes, Scott leaned back as the batarang came at him fast, spinning past him.

When it rebounded, Scott used his martial arts controlled muscles to snatch the batarang out of the air, with a snap of his wrist.

He flung it back at Night Wing, catching him on the face, flipping him onto his back and stunning him with the electronically charged weapon.

Harley pulled a pin out of her hair and undid the hand cuffs, kicking the down Night Wing.

Politely, Scott hand cuffed Bat Girl with the ones Bat Wing had used, and sat her down on top of Night Wing's chest as he lay still on the ground, still tazed by his own batarang.

He apologized, "Sorry ma'am, I don't want to hurt you, I appreciate what you're doing for the city."

Bat Girl watched, mouth open as the two ran away, she still was not sure what had just happened and who the joker boy was.

The Campus police came by in a golf cart and shined a flashlight on her, he said to his partner, "Just another drunk kid from that costume party."

She asked sheepishly, "Excuse me, could you help me out of these cuffs?"

* * *

"1...2...He's coming for you...3...4...Lock the door...5...6...grab your crucifix...7...8...don't stay up late...9...10...never sleep again." A gravelly voice sang whimsically in the underground cells at Arkham Asylum. Joker was on his back on his cot, singing a childhood song.

He laughed out loud at the end and wheezed, "Oh, Freddy, you're too good, too good."

Scott dropped down from the ceiling and Harley stuck her head upside down from the vent, looking around with her pigtails hanging.

Joker yelped, "Weeeee! Late night visitors! What fun! Harley, you good ole girl, coming through for Mr. J in the end? You got your boy toy to come back and save me as planneddd?"

Scott gruffly said, "I came for a confession. Tell Gordon you framed Harley, set her free."

Joker clucked his tongue, "Pitiful, Harley, you are just being pitiful. Don'tcha wanna be with me forever like you always wanted?"

Scott struck his fist out, striking Joker in the cheek, cracking the bone underneath.

Joker gritted his teeth in his malicious grin, "Oooooohhh...ouch...oof. You little-." He unfolded his long body but Scott swung his foot out, knocking Joker flat on his back.

Harley squealed in fright.

Bending down, Scott pulled the Joker's collars, bringing him face to face with him. "You're going to confess."

Joker grinned back.

A familiar voice echoed down the hall as Emma Frost came strutting down the corridor in her costume, leading a group of police men and doctors.

Gordon quickly tazed both Harley and Scott, droping Harley down from the ceiling.

As Scott lay twitching on the ground, he could see Emma's white heels.

Gordon called out, "The blondie is free to go, the boy stays."

Scott's body was lifted and tossed onto the ground of another cell.

They lead a squealing Harley away, and Gordon turned, walking into a wall repeatedly, without changing course.

Emma bent down and touched Scott's temple underneath his hair and immediately, the electronic charges and static shock vanished, and he was left feeling numb and paralyzed.

She leaned down close to his lips and whispered slyly, "Mind control, so much easier when they don't ask questions and just do as I say. Your debut on the surveillance tape in Harley's cell left little to the imagination." She gently kissed his immobile, frozen lips much to his horror and then strutted away, beckoning to Gordon who followed quickly, locking the cell door.

* * *

**AN: Lol I know Selina would probably know Harley was in jail and sees a girl with Scott at the party if some of u were wondering, but let's just pretend this is cartoon/comic world where people don't recognize you the instant you put on a mask or face paint.** **Then add in the dimness, music, partying, and noise.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Author's notes and shout outs to reviews at end of chap!**

* * *

_Inside the depths of Arkham Asylum...Night time, after hours..._

A woman's slow and gentle deep humming floats around the echoing cells of the asylum, twisting up to the upper levels.

Poison Ivy combed her lush soft red hair as a guard locked up the prisons for the night shift.

When his footsteps faded away, she smiled and brought a potted flower down from her shelf in her square cell.

Holding it up to the light bulb, she blew upon it and it sprouted, growing and growing, until it unwind-ed into long tentacles that moved at her command.

Breathing adoringly to them, she said luschiously, "Get mommy out, my babies."

* * *

Scott pounded his head against his cell wall, he could hear some strange loud noises in the cell over, but he didn't care. It was his fifth day in Arkham Asylum, and no one would let him out, or even pay attention to him.

He could kill Emma, he really could.

He was surprised when her voice called out, "Thinking about me?"

The blonde girl stood in his cell, swinging the keys on a finger.

Standing up, he ran at her and jammed her against the wall, his arm thrusting and his hand around the front of her neck.

"You...you-..." He trembled, not loosening his grip on her neck.

She suggested, "Came back for you? I wasn't serious, Scott, can't you take a prank? I wouldn't leave you here, you're my friend."

"You really should have taken classes at Xavier's, on telepathic ethics, you can't just come to a city and play around with everyone's minds! You sure have a funny way of treating your friends."

Shrugging flirtatiously, Emma grinned, rolling her eyes, "So I got a little jealous... There's a very intimate surveillance tape of you and that clown in these cells..."

Scott's face drained, and he let her go.

Skimming the dark rough stubble on his face, she giggled, "I like you unshaven."

He slapped her hand and growled, "Get me out of here."

Huffing, she said, "That's what I came here to do."

She lead him out into the sunlight, and he blinked in it, taking the outside in.

He looked at the black steel sign that read ARKHAM ASYLUM in thin linear letters at the gate.

Rubbing his head, he said, "What a nightmare. I can't believe how long Harley had to stay in there. It's a wonder she didn't come out of it insane!"

Emma lectured, "Once insane, always insane. She just has a good way of hiding it now and then."

* * *

After Scott bathed, he joined Barbara and Dick out in the common room, they had ordered burgers and were watching a presidential debate on TV.

A hyper blur came speeding at Scott, and Harley was on him in an instant, hugging him tightly.

She squealed, "Puddin'! You're back! I was gettin' so worried and lonely on my ownsome. I missed ya so much baby."

Her blonde pigtails swung around as she smooched him before he could get a word in.

"Wowie! That's scratchy. It tickles." She drew back from him and crinkled her nose, rubbing her cheek against his still prickly jaw.

Apologetically he said, "I'll shave as soon as I eat. I'm so hungry I could eat two of you."

Dick watched disgustedly as Harley fed Scott a burger, and talked in her high-pitched, coquettish voice.

"Babs how come you don't have a boyfriend?" He asked his friend. Barbara shrugged, "I don't know, too busy, I can't even think of anything besides school and work right now! My dad would start patrolling me if he knew I had a boyfriend!"

Palming his short black hair back, Dick sighed, "Right, Commissioner Gordon...I bet he was a real treat around your dates in high school."

Barbara laughed, "I didn't really date in high school either. Yeah, daddy would have locked my chastity belt and thrown away the key if any boys came around."

The concept of a chastity belt on Babs and where that was made Dick blush and he tried not to think that way of his friend. He gulped, "You have a chastity belt?"

She looked over at him wryly, "I was just exaggerating to illustrate the point."

Dick sipped his coca cola loudly through a straw, turning back to the TV.

Just then, Selina slunk in, wearing all black sweats, her dark hair cropped as short as a boy's, loosely styled, or rather, not at all styled.

It looked great with her large, lampy, cat eyes.

Choking on a mouthful of coke, Dick called out, "Looking good, Selina! Nice hair cut."

She merely shot him a silencing glare with the attitude of a cat, and slammed her dorm room door shut.

Shaking her head, Babs chuckled at her friend and his humiliated face.

* * *

After a tiring day of school and then an extra side job at the wood shop to earn some extra money, Scott came back to Gotham Golden Hall Dormitories, hands chalked with saw dust and book bag heavy on his muscled shoulder. He had had to work harder to catch up on the few days he had missed out on in school, no thanks to Emma.

He took his key card out, a clear card with a gold metal tip and flashed it to the glass doors of the magnificent dark dorms.

Scott was lucky and hard working enough to attend Gotham University with a full-ride scholarship. His good marks, good behavior, and extracurricular activities really paid off. That's what he reminded himself of when others called him a straight edge.

Sliding inside his dark and cool, air-conditioned room, he dropped his bag on the floor and stretched, before dropping onto his bed.

A startled, "MMPH!" and yelp had him jumping right back up and hitting the lights.

Nursing a sore hand, Harley looked up resentfully with her large blue eyes, dressed in only a short silk red nightie with a black lacey upper cut.

"Ow, ya big doofus, ya fell on me!" She shook her hand and pouted then crossed her arms dramatically, hunching her shoulders up. Her blonde hair bounced up a little.

Scott sat on the bed and grabbed her shoulders, "Aw I'm sorry Harley! I didn't see you there."

He grabbed her hand and petted it apologetically.

She smiled and crawled forward, "No problem Puddin'! I was gonna surprise you in the dark, then I fell asleep. What took ya so long?"

"Had a lot to do today, and worked a bit after school. How was your day?" He looked down at her nightie, as if noticing it for the first time and marveled. He slid his hand down her rib cage, feeling the silky fabric.

"And since when did you own something like this?" Scott asked, genuinely surprised.

Harley leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Oh I didn't wanna show this to you yet until I knew our relationship was more serious. Now I know. I was a little apprehensive actually, every time I wore this for Mistah J, he ended up throwing me out or kicking me out. I mean that literally. Do ya like it?"

"I don't know what sort of sicko would want to hit a girl wearing this!"

He proceeded to take her down with him and she requested, "Scotty, can we go shoppin' tomorrow?"

He said in between kisses, "Anything for you."

* * *

As Scott waited for Harley to get ready the next day, Emma sauntered into his room, while he rearranged his shelves.

She asked coyly, "What are you doing today?" Scott answered, "Taking Harley shopping downtown."

Snorting a little, Emma rolled her eyes, "Oh her? She's just going to end up hurting you you know."

Scott asked, "What makes you say that?" Leaning back in Scott's chair, Emma declared, "She's obsessed with that Joker guy, she has a notorious track record for always going back to him, no matter how he treats her. It's a classic abusive manipulative relationship."

Stiffening, Scott replied, "We already dealt with that on our own, between us, you don't need to be so concerned Emma."

* * *

Despite Emma's warnings, Scott could not help but feel the contagious chipper glee of the girl holding his hand and skipping down the polished granite sidewalk in Gotham's shopping district.

They passed by shining windows that held plain white mannequins with serious and modern monochromatic business suits for men and women.

Harleen pressed her palms and nose against another store window, cooing at a pair of red and white pumps. Her lipstick made a bright red circle on the glass, and Scott laughed, taking a picture of the stain with his phone.

Several minutes later, the couple came out of the store, Scott swinging a shopping bag in his hand for Harley, and she clasped his hand again as they walked down the sidewalk.

A honk halted them, and a woman yelled out, "Harley! It's your old gal Ivy!"

Scott looked over and caught his breath, at the woman from his dorm room poster. She had thick voluminous red hair under a scarf she had tied over her head, and a pale pink blouse on. Her jade green eyes were seductive and dreamy, with a mature element to them.

She drove a sleek pink gangster convertible car, its license plate read ROSEBUD.

Waving ecstatically, Harley bounded over to the car and eagerly said, "Ivy?! When did ya get out?"

The redhead plant mistress shushed Harleen, "Shh, no one knows yet. Who's the male?"

Harley dangled herself at Scott's side and gushed, "This is Scott! My new beau. Ya like?"

Ivy looked him up and down, "Pretty to look at, but does he treat you nice?"

Scott crossed his heart, "I wouldn't be a man if I didn't. Harley's precious cargo to me."

Contemptuously, Ivy muttered, "Call a girl cargo..." But she looked pleased and approvingly at Scott, giving him a playful and flirtatious stare that made him blush.

The blonde reassured Poison Ivy, "Oh, he's good to me, Ivy, better than any fella I ever knew!"

Ivy looked him over again, and said in her slightly southern drawl, "Best keep it that way...You never know what they're after 'til later. He's quite a fine example of the human specimen. Ripe and gorgeous."

She leaned against the car door and draped her hand down it, "Why don't ya kids hop in and come by my place for some dandelion tea?"

* * *

**AN: Hey guys sorry for the late update! I was kinda running out of fuel and inspiration to drive this story towards the latter chapters. I am beginning to get that ole muse inspiration again, so hopefully I can pick this back up to pace soon! This chapter wasn't much but I will include more development on Batman and Nightwing next.**

TheWritingGirl23- Thank you so much for your valuable and honest feedback! It really helps to have your reviews! I agree with what you said, I had all these threads of ideas like you said before, however in my own hurry i did try to rush all these events and didn't really think to go over them in more detail. I apologize for the writing, I was just losing fuel for this story, but I'm slowly getting back into being interested enough to have the drive for it. I did notice the jumping back and forth erratically and that was my own sloppiness/lack of motivation. I'll try to keep these points in mind! As for the fight being one-sided, thanks for bringing up the realistic statistics, I guess in my mind I supposed that mutantshuman, but in hand to hand to hand combat, Dick and Scott would be a fairer match than I might have depicted. There will be more interactions though! Thanks once again for reviewing and keeping me on my toes!

: Thanks for calling my story interesting and reading! I appreciate your review. I like your avatar btw :)


	8. Chapter 8

Scott had often wondered how Ivy and Harley's friendship worked, but he decided not to question the inner workings of female companionship and was content to just sit in the backseat of Ivy's nice pink convertible. He watched the back of Harley's blonde head chattering away to Ivy whose red hair was blowing back in the wind just under the scarf she had tied on.

Ivy was a little more receptive and less chatty. Scott could tell she was a clever and intelligent woman, quite a power house.

Harleen's voice grew louder and higher-pitched, her accent coming in thicker. Once in a while, the redhead would look back at Scott who was enjoying the plush leather upholstering of her car.

They whizzed by the tall, black sky scrapers, past the famous, Wayne Towers, and through the outskirts, winding along a swampy road.

She pulled up to a modest, bachelorette house that was kept nicely with a stunning array of plants and garden.

Inside was a kitchen adjoining to a dining room, where Ivy heated up some tea.

In an effort to strike up conversation with a super villainess or eco-terrorist, who had recently and not for the first time, escaped Arkham Asylum, Scott said, "Harley tells me you're a very good friend to her. I've heard lots of nice things about you."

Hugging his arm, Harley jumped in, "Oh the best girl friend a gal could ask for! Ivy's always there for me, always got my back, don'tcha? I dunno where I'd be without her." She ended dreamily, staring into Scott's glasses.

He wise-cracked, "With Joker."

Her bubbly face grew serious and she scowled, her voice suddenly lowered and deeper, the sane Harleen Quinzel peeking through, "Puddin'…Don't even joke about that."

Ivy leaned her elbow on the table; chin propped in her hand and nodded, "Mmhmm…" She gave Scott a secret look that confirmed that even she had trouble keeping Harley away from the abusive criminal mastermind.

If Scott was growing nervous or intimidated by all this madness, he did not show it, and Ivy was beginning to wonder if the boy was aloof. The only nervousness he showed was when he spoke to her.

Harley babbled, "Ivy and I are each otha's only girl friends! In Ivy's case, I'm her only human friend, isn't that neat? When I was interning, I wasn't really liked by my contemporaries. They all thought I was some blonde bimbo. Ivy prefers plants to humans. She hates men too."

Alluring Scott with her sparkling green eyes, Ivy asked, "Scott would you be a dear and go get the kettle for us?"

Standing up chivalrously, Scott went ahead to grab the teapot.

When he was out of earshot, Ivy leaned over to Harley and whispered in her ear behind a hand, "I've got another job you and me. To put one last laugh on Joker."

Harley's eyes rounded, "Oh no! I hung up the clown costume once and for all!"

Rolling her eyes, Ivy murmured, "You should have heard the things he was planning and saying about you in the nut bin. He's planning a break out soon enough, you know he's just going to make his disloyal minions suffer."

Harley weakly whimpered, "Mistah J…can't hurt me anymore, I won't fall for it."

She swept the back of her hand up on her forehead, and whimpered, "Oyy…."

Ivy wiggled her arched brows at Scott and said to Harley, "Who knows…Joker might go after your new guy."

Chewing her finger nail in fear, Harley ran up and leapt into Scott's arms, causing him to drop the teapot which would have clattered messily and hotly to the tiled floor had not a thick stemmed, vine-y branch lashed out and caught it in a broad leaf.

Ivy reached out to the plant and it drew the vines holding the tea to her, serving the table.

She nuzzled his neck and hollered, "Oh Puddin', I won't stand to see anythin' happen to you!"

* * *

The durable, hardened rubber-like armor cowl Bruce Wayne wore on his night job dully glinted the moon light over Gotham next to the large circular yellow and black Batman spotlight, in the pitch black, smoggy sky.

He flexed his fingers in the sturdy gloves of his suit and shot his zipline down at a lower building, flying through the night air with his cape whipping behind him.

A minute voice buzzed on, in his earpiece, Alfred his butler instructed in his British accent, "I just got the current location on the hostage that was on the police radios. Should I zero in on it for you?"

Batman gruffly muttered, "Please."

His cowl vision flickered and he saw in some sort of 4-dimensional, x-ray vision, every outline glowing blue.

A cursor circled his target-a bent orange skeleton tied up, surrounded by walking skeletons with transparent guns.

Bruce quickly summed up how many he would have to deal with, and shot his zip line to the roof, before swinging in, feet first through a window.

Machine gun fire rattled at him as soon as the shattered glass fell and he quickly turned his cowl vision back to normal.

Sweeping his thick cape up, Batman deflected the bullets and jumped up, kicking two thugs out in the face with a foot in each.

Their skulls crushed backwards and they fell unconscious.

He quickly whipped his hand to the side and flung a batarang up that caught its razor sharp spoke in the barrel of the gun an approaching gangster was holding up. When the gangster fired, the gun exploded in his hand, dangerously near his face, scalding him.

Grabbing a section of iron pipe from the wall and wrenching it off with brute strength, Batman whirled around, smacking a guy across the stomach with it, jarring his entire body.

He swung up and thrust the metal pipe at another dark and approaching figure, which parred his heavy swing with a, "Whoa, whoa, it's me,"

Bruce cursed under his breath when Nightwing stepped up, hands up in defense.

He growled, "Why aren't you out helping the Bat Girl? I didn't ask for your assistance tonight, I thought we were doing missions solo now."

Night Wing sneered, "She said she didn't want my help! Besides, I thought you might need a hand,"

Twisting his cape around a corner, to locate the hostage, Batman countered, "I clearly do not. Do you even know what my objective is tonight?"  
The younger man smirked, and Batman cursed, "Alfred…"

Brushing his ungelled black hair to the side, Dick narrowed his eyes under his black eye mask, puffing his chest out with the sleek blue bird emblazoned on it, "I've done some digging of my own before coming here that you might be interested in…"

Bending down after finding a person with a bag over their head tied up on the floor, Batman untied the hostage. It was a young girl, ruffled socks and polished black Mary Janes on.

He whipped off the head bag and stared down, aghast.

Night Wing dropped his arms and faintly said, "No…"

The untied little girl slumped forward in his arms, her head leaning back, smiling widely up at him.

Her dead ash gray eyes were half closed her pearly first pair of teeth outline and etched in red blood, jagged lines gashing upwards at the corner of her lips.

The steely heart underneath Batman's high-tech armor and gear thudded rawly, he could not fathom or stomach…

With barely shaking fingers, he pushed the little eye lids down, and closed her grinning mouth.


End file.
